Total Drama Champions
by Lord of the Sloths
Summary: Chris wants to make Total Drama's biggest season yet. So he brings eighteen contestants back to season two's abandoned film lot for another season of love, laughs, and of course drama. (Written for another author on this site) (ON TEMPORARY HIATUS)
1. Ahoy There, Total Drama!

**Yep, I have another competition story. I know I said I was tired of writing these but a while ago I promised to write another user one of these stories for reasons I can't quite remember. So if anything that doesn't seem like "Me" happens in this story, you know why. Now, it's not a sequel to Winners or Losers so I hope you don't mind that. Anyway, you can read the story now if you'd like. I haven't really got much else to say.**

* * *

The sun shined over the closed down exterior of the abandoned film lot that Canadian television program Total Drama had occupied during its second and most recent seasons. It seemed to be in a state of worse disrepair than usual. In front of the locked gates stood Chris McLean and his towering co-host Chef Hatchet. The camera zoomed itself in towards the main host's face.

"Welcome back Total Drama fans!" Chris announced. "It's been too long, hasn't it?"

Chris and Chef began walking along the outside perimeter to the film studio.

"Our last season was Total Drama Pahkitew Island which brought in some new faces." Chris recapped. "And the season before that we had Total Drama All-Stars where some of our best contestants, and Sam, competed. Well, this is the first season to combine all three of our casts. So say hello to... Total. Drama. Champions!"

Chris stopped walking and threw his hands up in the air for dramatic effect.

"Basically, what that means is… Uh… What it means…" Chris struggled to find the words.

"The producers picked out the contestants that test groups reacted the best and got 'em back for another show." Chef explained.

"Yeah, that. But saying 'Total Drama Champions' is way catchier." Chris said. "And we're doing the season here back at the old abandoned film lot!"

"Still don't get why we're back here." Chef commented. "Y'know there's a reason we only did it once."

"We've got budget cuts. It costs a lot to resurface Wawanakwa and apparently the guys we were renting from Pahkitew Island charge a lot." Chris explained. "And don't talk back to me again."

"All right, all right, fine." Chef said. "Carry on."

Chris looked back into the camera.

"So get ready for some lights, camera, and of course action once this season's competitors get here in Total. Drama. Champions!" Chris announced.

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

The camera faded in on Chris and Chef as they stood in the same positions they were last left off in.

"You think we've paused long enough?" Chris wondered.

"Yeah, that'll about do it." Chef agreed.

Chris glanced back at the cameras that were filming him.

"Okay, here comes the big bus now!" Chris announced. "Say hello to our newest batch of victims, uh I mean… No, you know what, I'm gonna stick with victims."

An old beat up bus that looked as if it should have been put in a scrapyard years ago pulled up to the studio.

"Jeez, even by our standards this thing's a piece of crap." Chef commented.

"Eh, are you really surprised?" Chris asked.

"No, not really." Chef admitted.

"Anyway, let's meet this season's contestants!" Chris announced.

The doors to bus opened and a scuffling of feet was heard from inside. The first person to disembark from the bus was Justin.

"That's right, I'm here!" Just cheered. "Please, feel free to bask in my glory."

"Justin, keepin' it humble, I see." Chris joked.

"Hey man, I'm a model. I have every right to show off." Justin bragged.

He flexed one of his arms at the camera.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Chris said. "Go wait for everyone else please."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Justin)**

"I'll admit it; I've been out of this whole reality TV game for a while." Justin confessed. "But I think I've got a real shot at making it far for several reasons. Number one, I'm smoking hot. Number two…. Uh… Hang on, I thought of this whole thing before I came in here."

* * *

After Justin, the next person to step down from the bus was Cameron. The bubble boy waved at the hosts once he spotted them.

"Um, hello there." Cameron said.

"Cameron, good to have you back." Chris greeted him.

"Oh, uh, thank you very much." Cameron remarked. "You know, I don't think I've watched very many movies before so this should be interesting."

"Uh huh, that's nice." Chris said, clearly not caring. "Hey, I never got to ask this last time, but what did being in a full body cast feel like? It must've felt pretty weird, right?"

"I don't have to take this, you know." Cameron told him.

Cameron walked over to the rest.

"C'mon man, don't be like that." Chris marked "I like getting on people's nerves. It's fun."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"I've had a pretty good track record in this game." Cameron remarked. "First season and I made the finals and I'm confident I would have made it to at least the final four in All-Stars if it wasn't for that injury. So I'm pretty confident in my abilities in this season."

* * *

"Oh, you are so right about that, Chris." A familiar male voice from inside the bus commented.

Out from the bus stepped Topher.

"Great to be back on the show!" Topher cheered. "Wow, I'm gonna have so much fun this season. Watch out world: Topher's here!"

"Speaking of getting on people's nerves, Topher's here!" Chris announced.

"Haha, good one, Chris." Topher remarked.

"Seriously? I just insulted you." Chris pointed out.

"Yes, but it was still a good one." Topher replied.

"Y'know, I admire your persistence." Chris admitted. "If I was you, I would've given up being a fan of me a long time ago."

"Thank you, I admire my persistence all the time." Topher said.

He took his position between Cameron and Justin.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I think I figured out what went wrong the last time I was here." Topher remarked. "I was just a _bit_ too self-centred. But hey, you can't stop me from being myself entirely. Seriously though, I'm going to make a better effort this time."

* * *

"So who's next?" Chris wondered.

As soon as he finished talking, Sierra got out of the bus.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Sierra cheered. "I get to actually be part of a season that takes place on the Total Drama film lot. Eee!"

"Sierra, welcome to the show." Chris told her. "I take it you feel excited."

Sierra nodded rapidly.

"You betcha." Sierra confirmed. "This time I'm going to make it all the way to the end."

"Sure, tell yourself whatever." Chris said.

Sierra walked over to the rest of the arrived contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Okay, so, last time I was on the show I sorta relapsed into being all Cody-crazy." Sierra admitted. "I still think the two of us _might_ have a chance together, but that's not the point. The point is, I'm keeping my head in the game this time."

* * *

The next person to step down from the bus was Anne Maria.

"All right, I'm feelin' good 'bout this one." Anne Maria remarked.

"And here comes our resident hair enthusiast." Chris told the audience before turning to the new arrival. "How do you feel Anne"

"Confident. I packed extra hairspray and spray tan and after last season, I feel like there ain't nothin' I can do." Anne Maria said.

"Ever heard of hubris?" Chris asked.

"Ah, stop makin' up words." Anne Maria told him.

She went past Chris and over to the rest of the contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"Did I quit my last season 'cause of a diamond? Yeah, I did. Ain't akin' that mistake again." Anne Maria said. "This time, Anne's gonna go far."

* * *

After a few more moments, Amy stepped off the bus.

"Ugh, I still can't believe I have to be on another season." Amy grumbled. "I don't even like reality TV you know."

"Glad to see you too, Amy." Chris jokingly remarked.

"Oh, just shut up." Amy told him.

"Have fun stirring up drama again." Chris said.

"Oh, I will." Amy replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"You know I kind of hate being on this show." Amy admitted. "Nothing good comes out of it for me. But at the very least, I don't have to deal with Samey this season."

* * *

Amy went over to the rest of the competitors.

"How many more people are on that bus?" Chris wondered.

"There are eighteen contestants and six are out here. Do the math." Chef told him.

"Jeez, why're you so cranky this season?" Chris remarked.

"I didn't get enough sleep last night." Chef explained. "Now c'mon, get on with the show."

"Wait, do you guys want me to get off the bus?" A male voice asked from the inside of the vehicle.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Chris replied.

After a few more seconds, Tyler began walking down the steps of the bus. However, he tripped halfway through and fell straight to the ground.

"Yep, I saw that one coming." Chris remarked.

Tyler got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"I'm okay everybody, I'm okay." Tyler announced. "Anywho, It's real great to be back on the show for a third time. Woo!"

"Take it easy, you only just got here." Chris pointed out.

"Sorry, it's just this time I'm gonna make all the way to the end." Tyler bragged. "You believe me, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Chris replied. "Let's just move things along. Don't want the episode to run too long."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"I know, I got kicked off before the merge twice." Tyler said. "But I'm not letting that stop me. I've been preparing for this show, all right. I even took up some new sports. Turns out, cricket is surprisingly fun to play."

* * *

Chris looked back over at the bus just in time to see DJ getting down from it.

"Um, hey there, Chris." DJ greeted, attempting to smile.

"DJ, welcome back." Chris said. "Up for a high five."

Chris held up his hand, expecting a yes.

"Uh, no thanks. I'm good." DJ told him.

"No problem. Anyway, have a good time and don't kill any animals by accident this time." Chris told him.

"Man, that's not funny." DJ told him.

"Eh, it's kinda is." Chris remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I don't really wanna win, to be honest." DJ admitted. "I just wanna make it in the game long enough to make my mama proud."

* * *

The cameras focused on the doors to the bus but oddly it seemed as if nobody had gotten off. After a few seconds, the cameras panned downwards to see Max standing at the foot of the bus.

"Haha! Tremble, mortals!" Max declared. "This time it shall be _I_ who wins this competition!"

"Oh, great, Max is here." Chris said, sounding interested. "Chef, why did we bring him back?"

Chef simply shrugged.

"Silence fools!" Max commanded. "You may mock me now but you'll be sorry when you're crushed under my iron boot."

"Uh huh, right, whatever you say." Chris brushed Max's comments off.

"Grr..." Max growled as he approached the other contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"Oh, they may see me as a joke, but I'll show them. I'll show them all!" Max declared. "When I'm in the finale holding that million dollar suitcase _I'll_ be the one laughing at _them_."

* * *

Once Max was with the others, Lightning stepped off the bus.

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered. "The Lightning's back, baby!"

"Why is everybody so energetic this season?" Chris wondered. "I can't be the only one who thinks that's weird."

"Hey man, I'm just happy the be here." Lightning told Chris. " _And_ I'm happy to win this season. Sha-boom!"

"Uh huh, right, sure." Chris replied.

"Anyway, Lightning's done talking." Lightning said. "He wants to get to the challenge so he ain't gonna hold things up."

Lightning walked up to the rest of the contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning can't quite figure out what he did right back on Revenge of the Island." Lightning admitted. "But whatever it was, he's gonna try to do it again and go all the way to the finale!"

* * *

After a few seconds of waiting, the next person to get down from the bus was Sky.

"All right, I'm here and I'm ready for action." Sky proclaimed. "Watch out world, because Sky's gonna win."

"See what I mean?" Chris asked his co-host. "Everybody's too optimistic. I would've thought I crushed that by now."

"You okay?" Sky asked Chris.

"Oh, right, you're here." He remembered, turning to Sky. "Welcome to the show, Sky. How are you doing?"

"I've been training." Sky replied. "And rewatching old episodes of this show to come up with strategies. So I'm totally gonna with this."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I don't wanna sound, y'know, boastful or anything." Sky began. "But I'm in great shape and I'm smart. I think I really have a shot. As long as Dave isn't here. He's really bad at handling rejection and I don't even want to think about how he'd react to seeing me again."

* * *

As Sky went over to the others, Jo stepped out of the bus. She silently scanned her competition with her eyes.

"So this is what I'm up against, huh." Jo remarked to herself. "Don't think I'll have that hard a time."

"You definitely sound sure of yourself." Chris said. "Even though you haven't actually made it to any of the finales yet."

"Shut up." Jo told the host.

"Uh huh, sure." Chris replied. "Anyway, let's just hurry up, okay. According to the producers we don't have enough in the budget for a two-parter."

"Fine." Jo said as she joined the growing crowd of contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Jo)**

"Listen, I know people are always saying that being too arrogant is a bad thing." Jo began. "And sure, maybe it kinda led to me getting eliminated twice. But so what? This time, I'm damn sure I can win that million dollars."

* * *

Right after the flash of static from the confessional faded away, the cameras showed Cody getting down from the bus.

"Hi everyone!" Cody waved to the cameras. "Ladies."

Cody winked at the crowd.

"Hey, Cody!" Sierra cheered. "We can talk later!"

"Oh... Great..." Cody trailed off.

"Cody, gonna be honest, you were not my first choice." Chris admitted. "I wanted to some more Owen. Apparently, test audiences really like you for some reason."

"Ah, C'mon, I'm a charmer, right?" Cody said. " _That's_ why they wanted me back."

"I just don't see you as 'Champion' material." Chris remarked. "You agree with me, right Chef?"

"We can talk 'bout this later." Chef said.

"I'll just go wait with the rest." Cody said as he made his way over to the others.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I still have not had a girlfriend." Cody admitted. "But hey, this season, that's all gonna change... Just as long as that girlfriend isn't Sierra."

* * *

The next person seen getting off the bus was Shawn.

"Here again, huh." Shawn remarked. "Not too shabby. As long as I keep away from the Z word I should be fine."

"Really? Still afraid of zombies?" Chris asked.

"I go into full-on freak-out mode a lot less I'll have you know." Shawn told him.

"Oh, we'll see." Chris said. "I'll get you to crack."

"Man, you're so weird sometimes." Shawn remarked as he went over to the rest of the competitors.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like before my problem is that I was too solitary in the game." Shawn theorized. "Granted, I still made it to the finale but I did have a few close calls. This time, I'm gonna align with someone and I'm gonna stick with them... Unless they turn out to be really annoying."

* * *

The next person to get out of the bus turned out to be Zoey.

"Uh, hey there." Zoey waved to the other contestants, smiling a bit. "Guess I'm back"

"Zoey, how does this feel?" Chris asked.

"I dunno." Zoey said. "Pretty good."

"Y'know you're a lot more neutral than I was expecting." Chris remarked.

"Um, thank you." Zoey replied before approaching the others.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I sorta feel weird about how this is my first season without Mike." Zoey admitted. "But you know what, I'm my own person and I can get along just fine. Uh, no offence Mike, if you're watching this. I love you."

* * *

Next, Gwen walked down the steps to the bus and looked at the other contestants and then to Chris.

"You gonna say something?" Chris asked.

"Uh, hi I guess." Gwen replied.

"So Gwen, after being away for the last two seasons how's it feel to be back?" Chris said.

"Not really sure." Gwen told him. "Can I stop talking to you now?"

"Fine, be that way." Chris remarked as Gwen joined the group of other contestants.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I honestly don't care about being back. Especially after how bad my experience here was last time. I'm only here because of my contract." Gwen remarked. "But at least Chris didn't bring back anyone I have some serious history with like Trent, Duncan, or Courtney."

* * *

"Okay, so we should only have two people left in there." Chris remarked. "Wonder which of this is gonna come out next."

At that moment Scott descended the steps to the bus.

"Huh, that film studio from season two." Scott observed. "Woulda thought you'd try somewhere new."

"C'mon man, we had budget cuts." Chris argued. "So don't complain."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Scott said, walking past Chris and over to the others.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I gotta admit, I don't have a real strategy here." Scott confessed. "I figure if I go with the flow then things will work out for me."

* * *

"All right, this means we've only got one person left." Chris said. "Thank god."

The last person who got down from the steps of the bus was Dave. The bus doors promptly closed behind him and the vehicle sped off, causing a cloud of exhaust to puff up. Dave accidentally inhaled some of the exhaust and began coughing violently.

"Ugh, gross." Dave finally said once the coughing went away.

"Dave, glad you could make it." Chris told him. "Now we can finally get this show on the road."

"Oh, all right." Dave replied. "Oh great... This place definitely looks... Germy."

"You'd be right, buddy." Chris told him. "We never hired a janitor for this place to save money."

"Oh... Yay..." Dave trailed off.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I saw Sky was one of the returning contestants." Dave said. "Ugh... Ever since she ruined my life last season I've kinda had a grudge against her. Let's just hope we're on different teams."

* * *

"All right, now that all of you are back we can get into the actual exciting part." Chris explained. "We already have pre-determined teams that we're splitting you up into."

"Are you splitting us up randomly or did you choose the teams yourself?" Zoey asked.

"You ask too many questions." Chris said.

"Oh, uh... Sorry." Zoey replied, sounding unsure.

"Anyway, our first team is consists of Cameron, Cody, Sky, Jo, Tyler, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen!" Chris listed off. "You shall be known as... The Demented Directors!"

The group of mentioned competitors split off from the others. A green circle with a megaphone in the centre of it briefly appeared above the heads of the new team.

"So we're doing film-based team names, huh?" Jo remarked. "Seems kinda corny."

"Oh, what do you know." Chris said before turning to the other contestants. "The rest of you, that's DJ, Justin, Scott, Sierra, Max, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey, you are now... The Irritable Actors!"

A yellow circle with the traditional laughing mask and crying mask in the middle of it appeared above the brand new team.

"Feel like we kinda got screwed in the names department." Anne Maria commented.

"Stop complaining." Chris told her. "Our writers spent like, five minutes coming up with these names."

"So are we gonna go see where we're saying now?" Tyler asked.

"Nope, no time for that." Chris told him.

"Seriously?" Gwen asked.

"Like I said, we don't have the budget for any two-parters." Chris explained. "Now c'mon, get in the tour cart and it's on to the first challenge!"

A beat-up tour bus drove over to the group. It clearly had seen better days with the obvious chipped paint, tape over several holes, and smoke coming from the engine.

"We also don't have the budget for a proper tour bus." Chris added.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I don't know much about money laundering." Shawn began. "But with how shoddily built everything around here looks, I think this season might be some kind of money laundering scheme."

* * *

A few minutes later, the contestants, as well as Chris and Chef, had piled into the tour bus and were being driven around the film lot by one of the interns.

"Now, I'm sure you're all really excited." Chris said.

"You bet we are!" Topher cheered.

"That's great, but first, let's go over some fun new rules." Chris told the competitors. "We're bringing back immunity idols. But this time we're bringing in three! First, there's the standard wooden Chris idol. You know how this one works by now. It keeps you from being eliminated if you play it."

"Get to the point." Jo told him.

"Fine, how about this." Chris began. "The Silver Idol lets you take someone else's vote away from the final tally and the Gold Idol lets your own vote count as two. Just a quick disclaimer, the gold and silver idols are not made of actual gold and silver. But it _looks_ like they are."

"Seems kinda confusing." Shawn remarked.

"Look, this season runs on a simple philosophy. If it was suggested by our writers, we use it." Chris explained. "So stop complaining. Anyway, I'm sure those of you were involved in season two remember what our main gimmick was."

"Movies, right." Cody said. "I wasn't there but it looked pretty fun."

"Right you are. But now we're combining the movies with a something new." Chris said. "Our new gimmick is... Virtual reality! That's right, we now have the technology to create challenges inside fun, interactive virtual worlds where it feels like you're actually there."

"Eee! This is gonna be so much fun!" Sierra squealed.

"I suppose this advance in technology is quite exciting." Cameron agreed.

"I dunno, I would've said 'Scary'." Shawn remarked.

"Well Shawn, you're wrong. It's fun." Chris told him. "In fact, we're nearing the studio with the virtual reality machine already. So get ready, because the challenge is gonna start soon."

The tour bus parked outside a warehouse with the number seventeen painted on the outside.

"Ta-da! Here we are!" Chris announced. "Now get in there and this challenge can begin."

Moments later, the teams had followed Chris and Chef into the warehouse. It was empty except for the metallic chairs lining the wall. On each chair was a helmet with a distinctly futuristic look to it and at the centre of the room was a large blocky machine with plenty of levers, buttons, switches, and screens on it."

"Wow, pretty nice setup you got." Justin commented.

"Yep, most of this season's budget went into making sure these were in working order." Chris bragged.

"You say that like it's a good thing literally everything else is in terrible condition." Gwen remarked.

"Look, it's my show, my rules." Chris said.

"This is gonna be so much fun." Topher remarked.

"Now, after much brainstorming in the writers' room, those hacks- Uh, I mean, lovely people, came up with a rather nautical challenge for us to use." Chris began. "Our first challenge will be of the sea-themed variety."

"Which movie are ya gonna use?" Lightning asked.

"Thank you for asking." Chris replied. "You will be the world of the pirate movie series Pirates of the Carribean! Well, actually Disney wouldn't let use anything that was in their movies so it's just the pirate genre in general. But you get the point."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"Haha, pirates are some of histories greatest supervillains if you think about it." Max said. "I was most amused when Chris told us about the challenge."

* * *

"Here's how the challenge works. Each team is a pirate crew and the way you win is by finding a hidden treasure." Chris explained. "Isn't that gonna be fun. Especially for me to watch."

"Where's the treasure exactly?" Dave asked.

"It wouldn't be fun if I told you, now would it." Chris remarked. "Don't worry though, you each get a treasure map. Well, you each get _half_ a treasure map. Anyway, that's all there is to it. Hope you have fun."

The contestants sat down in the various chairs around the warehouse as the hosts approached the machine in the middle.

"Ready Chef?" Chris asked.

"You bet." Chef replied. "Here we go."

Chris pressed a few buttons on the machine and Chef pulled a lever.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I'm not that big on video games so this whole virtual reality gimmick seemed kinda stupid to me." Amy commented. "Ugh, especially a pirate-themed challenge. Pirates are so gross. Ugh, especially their teeth."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the scene focused on the members of the members of the Irritable Actors standing on a dock while dressed in late 1600's or early 1700's attire. The contestants attempted to get their bearings by looking around. There were stalls selling various foods, but mostly fish, and several larger lining the pier.

"Okay team, here's what we do." Topher began. "First-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said you got to be the leader?" Zoey interrupted.

"Well, I exactly didn't see anybody else step up." Topher reasoned. "Any takers for the position of 'Leader'?"

"Only _I_ shall be worthy of the title of the leader!" Max said.

There was a long silence from the group.

"No, we're not having you in charge." Scott told Max.

"Well, since I'm not hearing any other objections, I guess I'm the leader." Topher remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I would've liked to be the leader, but after establishing myself as a villain they probably wouldn't have liked that." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Justin)**

"Now, I _want_ to be the leader." Justin told the camera. "But that would just paint a big target on my back. So for now, I'm just gonna lay low until my team trusts me more."

* * *

"Okay, so team, as I was saying, here's my plan." Topher began. "If we're pirates, we're going to need a boat. So let's go look for one."

"Really, what's your master plan?" Dave asked.

"Oh, I'd like to see you come up with something better." Topher told him. "C'mon, let's go find a ship."

Meanwhile, the members of the Demented Directors, wearing similar period piece outfits, found themselves on a different part of the wharf.

"Huh, this place looks pretty sweet." Tyler remarked. "Kinda like a theme park or something."

"Okay, listen up, here's what we do." Jo told the team. "We need a boat and we need to make sure it's reliable. And we also need to figure out which one of us has that treasure map half."

"Hold on, you can't just start bossing people around." Sky said.

"Fine, go ahead and tell me your plan Ms. Goody-Goody." Jo replied.

"Well, it was pretty much the same as your idea." Sky admitted.

"So it doesn't matter if I was the one who said it." Jo argued. "Now c'mon team, let's go find a ship."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why can't I be leader?" Shawn butted in. "I'm an expert zombie survivalist."

"He's got you there." Sky remarked.

"Yeah, no, we're not putting a crazy person in charge of the team." Jo stated.

"Hey! I'm not crazy." Shawn insisted. "I'm just prepared for everything."

"Uh, perhaps I would be better suited." Cameron volunteered.

"You seem like a nice guy, Poindexter. But you don't have the experience I do." Jo stated.

"Oh... Okay." Cameron sighed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I really hope those guys don't do too much arguing." Cody commented. "I feel like it'll hurt our chances at winning. Like, a lot."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Man, Lightning had a way better plan than those two." Lightning claimed. "He just... Didn't feel like sayin' it."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the Actors, the members of that team were walking along the pier together with Topher in the front.

"Hey, uh, quick question. Does anyone here know anything about sea travel or boats?"Dave asked. "And for that matter where are we even going right now?"

"Why is everybody questioning me right now?" Topher wondered. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Hmmph, really then?" Max remarked. "So tell me, where _are_ you taking us exactly?"

"Right here!" Topher gestured up to a sign that read "Ships For Sale" that hung from a nearby shop.

"Huh, that's actually kinda impressive." DJ admitted.

"'Kay... How did you know this was here?" Anne Maria asked.

"I didn't." Topher admitted. "But I figured that if we walked long enough we'd find something. Chris wouldn't let us be totally helpless. C'mon, into the shop, everyone."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I kinda hate the fact that Topher was right back there." Dave said. "But on the other hand, it was kinda amazing how his lack of a plan actually worked."

* * *

The Actors entered the shop Topher had lead them to. The entire shop seemed to be made of wood and had many shelves lined with model ships. Behind a counter in the back of the shop stood a short bearded man.

"Ahoy there!" The shopkeeper called over to the group. "Lookin' for a boat, I take it?"

"Well, why else would we be here." Zoey remarked.

The shopkeeper chuckled.

"I like yer attitude, girlie." The shopkeeper said. "So anyway, what kind o' boat are ya in the market for?"

"Uh, the kind that floats." Sierra replied.

"They all do that, lass." The shopkeeper stated.

"We don't really know anything about boats." Scott admitted.

"Well, let's start with this. Where are you folks going?" The shopkeeper asked.

"We're treasure hunting." DJ explained. "Actually, wait, anyone here got the map Chris mentioned?"

Justin felt around in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that appeared to have been torn in half. He placed it down in front of

"Here you go." Justin said as he handed off the paper to the shopkeeper. "We're going wherever this leads."

The shopkeeper scrutinized the map and then turned back to the team.

"This is only half a map. It's leadin' somewhere, but wherever it is isn't there." The shopkeeper remarked. "But I guess I can get you a boat that'll survive the general area it looks like you're going."

"That's cool." Anne Maria remarked. "How much for it?"

"Uh, I'd say about four thousand doubloons." The shopkeeper estimated.

The teammates began rummaging around the various pockets on their old-timey outfits. After a few minutes, the teammates put the gold coins they fished out of their pockets down on the counter.

"That looks like it'll cover 'bout... Half of it." The shopkeeper declared.

"Well, this sucks." Scott remarked.

"Tell ya what, you can pay me back the other half when you get back with the treasure." The shopkeeper told them./

"Deal." Topher said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"So, what I want to know is, do these people think they're real?" Zoey wondered. "Jeez, thinking you're real but not actually being real is kinda scary... I should stop thinking about it before I freak out too much."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors still were wandering around the wharf with Jo taking the lead. She was holding the other half of the map and studying it closely.

"Y'know guys, I feel like we got the better end of the deal here." Jo remarked. "Our map actually shows us where we need to go."

"Yeah, but it's still only half a map." Gwen pointed out. "That means we still have to figure out how to get to where this second half is on our own."

"And we still don't have a ship, man." Lightning added.

"Yes, that still is quite the big issue." Cameron added.

"Will everyone please stop criticizing me?" Jo requested. "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh really, Mrs. Know-It-All. Where can we find ourselves a boat then?" Amy asked, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Find someone who looks like they're a sailor and ask if we'll let them on their boat." Jo explained. "Like that guy over there, for example."

Jo pointed over to a tall bald man with a scar over his left eye. The intimidating man was sitting on a footstool and looking out to the ocean.

"I dunno, he looks kinda creepy." Cody pointed out. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"No, no, she's right. Everyone knows the zombie survivalists are smart. And all the bests zombie survivalists are grizzled old guys with scars." Shawn argued.

"See, Zombie Boy agrees with me." Jo said. "Now c'mon, follow my lead everybody."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Y'know it's occurred to me that all this zombie talk might be alienating me." Shawn realized.

* * *

Jo began approaching the scarred man and the rest of the team followed her.

"Excuse me, can I talk to you for a moment?" Jo requested.

"Yar, what do you want, missy?" The man asked.

"You wouldn't happen to be a sailor, would you?" Jo inquired.

"'Course, I'm a sailor. Ship captain actually." The man told him. "But right now I don't have any work."

"Well, that's funny. We're actually looking for a boat." Sky explained. "Care to take us?"

"Depends. Where you headin'?" The sailor asked.

"We're looking for treasure." Jo handed the sailor her team's half of the map. "We only have part of the map but we can probably manage."

"If you gimme a share of yer treasure, I'll let you on my ship." The sailor replied.

"It's a sha-deal, bro." Lightning told him.

"Hey, I'm in charge so I'll decide." Jo said before turning to the sailor. "It's a deal."

"Excellent." The sailor replied. "Name's Seamus by the way."

"Man, what was even the point of you interruptin'... Ah, never mind." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"I'm not sure I like Jo that much." Tyler admitted. "It's kinda like she just wants to make everything about her."

* * *

Meanwhile, it appeared that the members of the Actors had gotten on a small ship and were out on the middle of the ocean. DJ was behind the wooden wheel of the ship with Zoey near him.

"Uh, DJ, do you know what you're doing?" Zoey nervously asked.

"Uh... Not really. But Topher put me in charge of this." DJ replied. "Besides, I'm sure Chris made it extra easy for us to do."

Sierra approached the two of them.

"Hey guys!" Sierra greeted. "They have so many bananas on this boat, can you believe it?"

"Really?" DJ asked. "How do they taste?"

"Oh, I tried one. It doesn't taste like anything really." Sierra said. "I guess it's 'cause, y'know, we're virtual."

"That's too bad. Real-life me was kinda hungry before this game started." DJ remarekd.

"Anyway, Topher told me to give you the map since you're driving." Sierra explained, holding out their team's half of the map.

"I can't be the only one who thinks it's weird how we're letting Topher be in charge." Zoey remarked.

"Why don't you like him?" Sierra asked.

"I don't know." Zoey admitted. "He just doesn't seem like leader material. Then again, neither am I really."

Meanwhile, inside the captain's quarters of the ship, Topher sat behind a desk with Max, Dave, and Scott in front of him.

"So could you guys find any maps on this ship?" Topher asked. "'Cause, I figure if we match up our half map to a whole map. we'll be set."

"Nope, nothing." Scott told him.

"I bet we would have found something if it was _me_ in charge." Max remarked.

"How would that have changed anything?" Dave asked.

"Don't question it. It just would have." Max said.

"Hang on, where's Justin and Anne?" Topher asked.

"They said something about tanning." Scott explained. "I tried to tell them we were in a virtual world but they wouldn't listen.

"God, I bet the other team doesn't have to deal with this." Dave complained. "Stupid Sky, she gets all the luck."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I don't wanna sound like a jerk, all right." Dave said. "But my team kinda sucks. Seriously, did Chris put all the athletic people on the other team on purpose or what?"

* * *

Elsewhere out on the ocean, the Director's ship sailed across the sea. Inside the captain's quarters, Seamus sat behind a desk with Cameron, Amy, Cody, and Sky in front of him.

"All right, I've already assigned one of you to steer and several of you to lookout duty." Seamus recapped to them. "So the question is... What to do with you folks?"

"Can I do something that _doesn't_ involve manual labour?" Amy requested. "I have a condition where if I have to do work I get really angry at you."

"You have to do something, lass." Seamus said.

Before the conversation continued there was a loud series of knocks at the door.

"Guys! You might wanna get out here, man!" Lightning yelled. "Somethin' serious looks like it just happened."

"Uh oh, that sounds bad..." Cody nervously remarked.

"Yes, it most definitely is an issue." Cameron added.

"You go check it out." Seamus told them. "I'll stay in here."

The four contestants exited the boat and the first thing they saw was a slightly larger ship sailing just next to them.

"The hell is that about!" Amy shouted.

Near the railing to their ship, the other members of the directors stood in an attempt to get a better look at the boat next to them.

"Uh, hey there!" Tyler called up to the other ship. "Are you pirates?"

"Hey! You! Whoever's up there had better state their business!" Jo yelled.

The first response to Jo's demands was the sight of Sierra peeing over the edge of the other ship.

"Oh hey guys, guess we got the same general idea about where to go." Sierra remarked. "What a funny coincidence."

"Dammit, how'd you all get the better boat?" Lightning asked.

"None of your business." Sierra said. "Anyway, have fun eating our dust when we get the treasure."

"Ha! Boat's can't kick up dust, dummy." Amy pointed out.

"Oh, well, eat our wake in that case." Sierra replied before looking up at the steering area of her boat. "Hey DJ, full steam ahead!"

"This isn't a steamboat." DJ pointed out.

"You know what I meant." Sierra told him.

Jo turned to Tyler.

"Hey, Tracksuit, does our boat have cannons?" Jo asked.

"Yep." Tyler nodded. "But I have no idea how to use them."

"Does anyone on this boat know? how" Jo said.

"Sha-nope, not even a little." Lightning replied.

"Cannons are not one of the things my doomsday manual covers." Shawn remarked.

"Uh, I do." Cameron spoke up.

"Wait, you do?" Cody asked.

"Yes." Cameron said.

"Why?" Sky asked.

"Guess everyone's gotta have a hobby." Gwen jokingly remarked.

"Actually, I haven't done it personally. But I read lots of books about it when I was bored." Cameron explained.

"Well, that'll have to be good enough. Get cracking on shooting their ship." Jo instructed him.

"Oh, sure." Cameron replied.

"I'm sorry, did I hear something about shooing us with cannons?" The Directors heard the voice of Scott asked.

After a moment, Scott stuck his head out over the railing and looked down at the opposing team.

"You guys seriously gonna do this?" Scott continued.

"Yep. Hope you're ready for some sinking." Jo told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I'm kinda jealous of their team." Scott admitted. "I dunno, I just feel like all the useless people got dumped onto my team."

* * *

Up on the Actors ship, the members of the team had gathered out on the main deck with the exception of DJ who was still at the wheel.

"Hey, Scott, Sierra, what's going on over there?" Anne Maria asked.

"Is it pirates?" Dave said. "Please tell me it isn't pirates."

"Nope, just the other team." Scott answered.

"Oh, that's not so bad." Justin remarked.

"And they're planning to shoot us." Sierra added.

"Why didn't you lead with that? That sounds way more important." Zoey pointed out.

"Yeah, we probably shoulda led with that." Scott admitted. "Anyway, we'd better fire back at them or something."

"Do any of you know how to use a cannon?" Topher looked over at his teammates.

"I built a Death Cannon once." Max boasted. "Of course... I never got it to work."

"Okay, anyone else?" Topher asked.

Nobody else responded to the question

"Well... That can't be good." Topher remarked.

"Anyone got any other plans for what to do?" Dave asked.

"Hey, aht's gonna on down there?" DJ called down from the helm of the ship.

"We're trying to figure out how to get rid of this other ship!" Dave shouted back up.

"Hey! DJ, what if we crashed into them?" Topher suggested. "Think that might work?"

"Uh, no, no I don't think so." DJ replied.

"Um, I'm sorry, what?!" Anne Maria exclaimed. "Topher, are ya outta your mind?!"

"Uh, to give a calmer version of what Anne Just said, that doesn't seem like a very good idea." Zoey said.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Red." Anne Maria told her. "I know what I said."

Before this conversation could continue further, the team was caught off guard by a loud exploding noise coming from nearby and their whole ship shaking.

"Crap!" Scott yelled. "I think we've been hit."

"This is most unacceptable!" Max angrily declared.

"Should someone check the damage?" Dave suggested.

"Justin, you go do that." Topher instructed him.

"What? No way." Justin declined. "Why do I have to do it?"

They were unable to argue further as there was another explosion sound and another shaking of the ship.

"Hey! DJ, we changed our mind!" Topher called up to DJ. "Crash into their boat!"

"Um... Uh, okay." DJ nervously replied.

"Uh... Is that such a good idea?" Sierra asked.

"What?!" Anne Maria exclaimed. "Topher, are you nuts!?"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I get that split second decisions happens sometimes. But... Topher probably could've thought things out better."

* * *

Back on the Directors' boat, the team was still gathered on the main deck and from their point of view, two large holes were blasted in the side of the Actors' boat. Cameron stepped back from the cannon.

"I think that should do it." Cameron remarked.

"Wow, that was super cool, dude!" Tyler cheered.

"Don't get too overexcied." Jo remarked.

At that moment, Seamus exited the captains quarters.

"What the devil is going on out here?" Seamus asked.

"Just takin' down this enemy ship, bro." Lightning answered.

"Keep up the good work then." Seamus replied.

"Uh, guys, is their boat getting closer to our boat?" Cody wondered.

The team looked up and saw that, yes, the opposing team's ship was getting dangerously close to crashing into them.

"Oh crap..." Gwen trailed off.

"Quick! Everyone jump overboard! It's our only chance of survival." Shawn told his team.

"Are they trying to-" Sky was abruptly cut off when the Actors' ship smashing into theirs.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"What the hell were they thinking!?" Amy shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "They can't just do that!"

* * *

A little while later, on the shores of a desert island, all the contestants, as well as Seamus, were sprawled across the beach with pieces of wood and other wreckage near them. They all lay motionless for a few moments but after a while, the first to stir was Jo.

"Dammit... What happened..." Jo mumbled to herself.

She looked around and saw the other contestants. Next, she tilted her head up and saw a large treasure chest resting on a rock.

"Oh my god!" Jo exclaimed. "We actually found it! What are the chances of that?"

Jo's yelling caused Zoey to get up from the ground.

"Huh, what's going-" Zoey began before noticing the treasure chest. "Oh my gosh, guys! It's the treasure! Get up!"

"No! I'm getting this treasure!" Jo declared.

Jo stood up on the beach and began to make a run for the treasure. Zoey grabbed Jo by the ankle before she could get too far causing the jockette to fall face first into the sand. Jo spat out a mouthful of sand.

"Let go of me, you little twerp!" Jo demanded.

The commotion caused Max to stir.

"Grr... What in the name of Doom is going on here?" Max mumbled.

"Max!" Zoey called out to him. "Get the treasure!"

"Ha! I take orders from no one." Max stated.

"Do you want to win or not?" Zoey asked as she and Jo struggled against each other.

"Hmm, very well. You make a point." Max admitted as he stood up.

Max ran up to the chest and opened it to reveal many gold coins inside.

"Haha! Gold! And it's all mine!" Max laughed.

All the contestants began to glow a white light.

"Hmm... This does not seem to be normal." Max commented.

The contestants all disappeared after a flash of light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I'm still kinda in shock about the fact that _Max_ ended up being the reason they won." Shawn admitted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"As an evildoer, I do not normally help other people." Max stated. "However, I would have probably been voted out if I didn't help and therefore been unable to spread evil. So it was a small sacrifice I had to make."

* * *

Back in the real world, the eighteen contestants were snapped back into reality when the visors on their helmets flipped up.

"Whoa, that whole thing was weird." Cody remarked as he stood up from her chair and removed her helmet.

"Hey, Chris, I got a question, how does being knocked out int he virtual world work?" Gwen asked. "'Cause that felt pretty weird."

"I dunno, I didn't design these things." Chris responded. "Anyway, congratulations to the Irritable Actors for winning today's challenge!"

"Still say we got the worst team name here." Anne Maria remarked.

"Shut up, at least you _won_." Amy grumbled.

"Anyway, all of you get a chance to chat over a lovely meal our very own Chef has prepared for you." Chris informed them. "He's making mystery meat hamburgers tonight. Oh, and Demented Directors, see you at the elimination ceremony tonight."

"Yay." Gwen sarcastically remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Okay, so, like, I kinda hate my team right now." Amy remarked. "I swear, _I'd_ better not be the one who gets voted off first."

* * *

A little while later, the teams had gathered in the mess hall. All the Directors sat at one grouping of tables while all the Actors sat at another group. The camera focused on the area in the mess hall that contained the Actors. As the camera got closer to the team, it became apparent that Chef had indeed made hamburgers for the team.

"So what kinda meat is in the mystery meat?" Anne Maria wondered.

"It's probably best not to think about it." Justin replied. "Or think about how it'll affect my figure."

"So guys, am I an awesome leader or what?" Topher asked.

"You don't wanna hear me answer that." Scott stated.

"Ah c'mon guys, we won, didn't we?" Topher pointed out. "That means I'm awesome."

"I don't follow your logic." Dave said.

"Guys, guys, the point is, we won, right?" Sierra remarked.

"Yeah, let's just stop worrying and relax a little." DJ agreed.

"Until the next challenge." Zoey added.

The camera panned over to where the Directors had been eating.

"Man, what the hell happened?" Lightning wondered. "I thought we had this?"

"Ugh, can you stop complaining?" Jo requested. "We lost. Just get over it and decide who you wanna vote for."

"I ain't gettin' over it, bro." Lightning said. "Seriously, how'd we lose? We got all the strong people on our team. You, me, the short chick, maybe the zombie dude."

"My name's Sky." Sky reminded her. "And I'm not that short."

"Pfft, Sky ain't a name that's a thing that the clouds like to hide." Lightning stated.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot." Jo told Sky.

"Man, I'm right here, dude." Lightning pointed out.

"I keep telling you, I'm not a dude." Jo said.

"Guys, can you please stop arguing?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, it's getting kind annoying." Cody added.

"I concur." Cameron agreed.

"Fine, fine. Let's just eat in silence for the next little bit." Jo said.

"Thank you, finally." Shawn remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional:** **Gwen)**

"There are two very obvious candidates for 'First voted out' that I'm thinking about voting for right now." Gwen commented.

* * *

A few hours later, the Directors had gathered in front of a large stage for the elimination ceremony. Chris walked up onto the stage wearing a blue tuxedo.

"All right, you guys ready?" Chris asked. "It's time for the elimination ceremony. Gwen, you may remember how this worked in Action. You all go to the makeup room confessional to vote and when you're done, I give you an incredibly handsome statue to signify that you're still in the game."

Chris held up a plate with eight miniature statues of him that looked as if they were made of gold.

"Whoever doesn't get one, has to take a ride out of here in the crappy limo we rented that I like to call 'The Lame-o-sine.'." Chris continued. "So anyway, get to the voting."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky crossed out a photograph of Lightning and showed it to the camera.

"Sorry Lightning, as much as I appreciate a fellow athlete, you're kinda annoying." Sky stated. "Also, I'm not _that_ short."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen held up a photo of Lightning an X drawn over it.

"Honestly, you and Jo are equally annoying." Gwen admitted. "But I decided I disliked you just a _little_ more."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning drew an X over a picture of Jo.

"If anyone should be leader 'round here, it's Lightning!" Lightning declared.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Cody)**

Cody scribbled over a photo of Jo's face with a red marker.

"I'm not sure how long I can stand you." Cody admitted. "The less you argue with people, the better."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Tyler)**

Tyler drew an X face over a picture of Lightning.

"Look man, I get that you're tough. But I feel like our team would be better if we didn't have you." Tyler remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy drew an X over a photo of Jo.

"It should be _me_ who gets to boss around this team. Not _you_." Amy said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Jo)**

Jo crossed out a picture of Lightning.

"Do I even need to say why I'm doing this?" Jo rhetorically asked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over Jo's photo.

"Frankly, I feel like _I'm_ better suited to lead this team." Shawn commented.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Cameron)**

"I honestly can't decide. Lightning and Jo both have negative qualities that make me want to vote for them." Cameron admitted. "Hmmm... I need a bit more time."

* * *

The scene switched back over to the contestants sitting in front of the stage with Chris reading a piece of paper in one hand and a tray of miniature statues of himself in the other.

"Okay, I've got the results right here." Chris explained. "So, I'll just start off with this. Sky, Cameron, Tyler, Cody, Shawn, Amy, and Gwen. You're all safe."

Chris tossed each contestant a Gilded Chris award has he listed their names off.

"So that just leaves two of you." Chris stated. "Jo and Lightning. Can't possibly guess why you got under your teammates' skin. No wait, I totally can. Anyway, this finally Gilded Chris Award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Lightning!"

Chris threw the last award over to Lightning.

"Sha-bam!" Lightning cheered as he caught his statue. "Take that, Jo!"

"What?!" Jo exclaimed. You've gotta be kidding me."

"Nope, no mistake here." Chris answered. "You're out, Jo."

Jo stood up and looked back at the team that had just kicked her out.

"You're all going to regret this, I hope you realize that." Jo remarked.

Jo walked down the red carpet towards where the limousine was waiting for her. She got into the limousine and looked into the camera that was in there for a few seconds.

"What? Are you waiting for me to say something interested?" Jo asked. "Just drive."

The camera cut to the limousine driving away and Chris walking to the edge of the red carpet.

"Well, that's one down." Chris remarked. "This is the part where I usually say something clever or funny but we had to film this episode without a full script because of scheduling troubles. So, uh... Something, something, something, wordplay... Uh... Next time, on Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Justin, Scott, Sierra, Max, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Cody, Sky, Tyler, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

 **Votes:**

Cody: Jo

Tyler: Lightning

Sky: Lightning

Jo: Lightning

Amy: Jo

Shawn: Jo

Lightning: Jo

Cameron: Jo

Gwen: Lightning

 **Results:**

Jo: 5 Votes

Lightning: 4 Votes

* * *

 **And that was the chapter. I know that this just seems like I'm repeating what I did in winners but with a marginally different cast. But it's what the other author that requested this from me wanted. As for why Jo was the first to be eliminated, I was debating between her and Topher but in the end thought Topher could use a little more time. I like Jo but had no real plans for her except for her small feud with Lightning.** **So anyway, thanks for reading.**


	2. Chris McLean's: Dracula

**And it's time for another chapter of the story I've created on behalf of another author. Not gonna lie, it feels kinda weird to be writing this but I'm warming up to the idea more and more. Also, I'm planning to update my story Strange People either tomorrow or the day after that depending on how busy I am. Anyway, here are some quick responses to the reviews I got:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **That British Guy:** I can understand why you don't like Jo. People in real life with her personality type are kind of annoying.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you too.

 **Well, that's it for the responses, you may now read the story.**

* * *

"Previously, on Total Drama Champions. Eighteen of our old contestants came back to the location that was easiest to film at: The old abandoned film lot. There, they found out what we sunk most of our budget into this season: Virtual reality! In the challenge, Jo took charge of her team and for some reason, Topher did the same with his. But this didn't end up being so good for Jo when her team lost and they decided to kick her out for her bossy attitude. Who will lead Jo's old team now? What challenges are on the way? The only way is to find out is to stay tuned for Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On an early morning at the film lot the cameras focused on the two trailers that contained the contestants. The camera switched scenes to the interior of the cabin the boys were sleeping in. After several seconds of nothing happening, Tyler was seen starting to move around in his bed.

"Hmm… Am I awake yet?" Tyler mumbled, his eyes only half opened. "Huh, guess so."

He rolled over in bed but ended up rolling right out of bed and hitting his head on the floor.

"Ow! Dammit!" Tyler exclaimed.

Tyler's pained screams caused the other residents of the trailer to suddenly wake up.

"Ugh… What happened?" Scott groaned.

"Did someone die?" Justin asked.

"I'm okay…" Tyler weakly said as he stood up. "Just bruised my face again, that's all."

"You gonna be okay?" Topher asked.

"Yep, totally used to it." Tyler stated.

"Hmmph, weirdo." Max grumbled.

"He does this kinda thing a lot." DJ said.

"I'm going back to bed." Dave remarked.

"Not me!" Lightning declared.

Lightning got up from his bad.

"Sha-yeah! Lightning's gonna go exercise and definitely not look for any of those idols." Lightning said.

"Why would you even say that last part out loud?" Cameron asked.

"Lightning doesn't know." Lightning admitted. "Anyway, see y'all later."

Lightning exited the trailer.

"Should we be concerned about that?" Shawn wondered.

"Nah, that guy's an idiot." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I'm scouting the market for potential alliance members." Scott explained. "So far, most of the other guys are too dumb or too smart to be in alliance with me. DJ, Justin, and Dave look like they could be pushovers though. Maybe I could team up with them."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the girls' cabin, Sky had already gotten up and was attempting to do sit-ups on the floor.

"Twenty-three... Twenty-four... Twenty-five..." Sky counted to herself. "Yes, I did it!"

Sky's cheering caused most of the other girls to be woken up.

"Jeez... What's goin' on..." Anne Maria grumbled.

"Oh, sorry." Sky apologized as she stood up. "Just doing my morning exercises."

"That's super cool." Sierra said. "I start every morning by updating my blog. And since there's WiFi here, I can actually do that. Yay!"

"It's seven in the morning during summer... I'm not used to waking up like this..." Zoey complained.

"Ugh... What she said..." Amy mumbled.

"It's not that early guys." Gwen told them. "Let's just go outside and enjoy the day or whatever."

"You're sayin' you're used to wakin' up this early?" Anne Maria asked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"You know, it's finally sunk in that I'm a college student on a TV show that has mostly high schoolers in it." Gwen commented. "I know I'm only twenty but... It makes me feel kinda old."

* * *

A few minutes later, all the contestants had left their trailers and were just hanging out in the nearby area. The camera focused on Zoey leaning against the side of one of the trailers and Sierra talking to her.

"So Zoey, what do you think our next challenge is gonna be?" Sierra wondered.

"Uh, I'm not really sure." Zoey replied. "To be honest, this whole virtual reality gimmick seems kinda weird."

"I like it, makes me feel powerful." Sierra said. "Oh hey, Zoey, quick question. Got any tips for getting Cody to like me?"

"Um... No." Zoey replied after some thought.

"That's cool." Sierra said. "See ya later."

Sierra walked away from the area.

"Why did she want to talk to me?" Zoey wondered.

The camera moved over to Dave sitting underneath a tree by himself.

"Ugh... Why's it so boring here?" Dave complained. "I need to talk to someone."

At that moment Scott, with DJ and Justin following him, approached Dave.

"Hey, Dave, funny coincidence meeting you here." Scott remarked.

"In front of the trailers?" Dave asked.

"You know what I meant." Scott said.

"What exactly do you want?" Dave inquired. "And why is he following you?"

"He told me he had something cool he wanted to tell me." DJ explained.

"Actually, what is this 'Cool Thing' anyway?" Justin asked. "It can't be cooler than _me_."

"Well, I thought, what if the four of us formed an alliance." Scott proposed. "Huh? Sounds like a good idea right?"

"I'm not so sure..." Dave remarked. "I saw your season. I know what you can be like."

"Ah, c'mon, I'm a changed man." Scott insisted. "You can trust me. You saw All-Stars, right?"

"I just think it's too early to get into an alliance, man." DJ told him. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I'm with him here." Dave agreed. "In fact, I think I'll just go hang out somewhere else."

DJ an Dave walked away, leaving Scott with Justin.

"Well, at least I still got you." Scott turned to the male model.

"Heh, I don't think so." Justin said. "I don't really trust you after hearing what the little guy said."

Justin walked away as well.

"Hmm... That did not go as planned." Scott admitted. "I'll have to try harder."

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I wanna play a good, honest game." DJ stated. "And associating with people like Scott ain't that good a way to play an honest game."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Justin)**

"Right now, I'm gonna remain a lone wolf." Justin explained. " _But_ I'll also prove my strength to the team. So I guess you could say this lone wolf is leading the herd!)

Justin paused for a second and stared off in thought.

"Did that make sense?" Justin asked.

* * *

A golf cart driven Chef with Chris in the passenger seat drove up to the area in front of the trailers the contestants were lounging in.

"Hey! Guess what time it is!" Chris cheered.

"Challenge time?" Justin guessed.

"Dammit, Justin! You're stepping on my lines!" Chris angrily replied.

"You're saying you asked a question and didn't expect a response?" Cameron asked.

"You know what, all of you shut up." Chris told them. "The point is, the challenges are starting soon and you all need to report to the same abandoned set as before. Got it?"

"I can not be told what to do!" Max declared.

"Fine, we don't need your stupid haircut lowering our ratings anyway." Chris replied.

"How dare you!?" Max shouted. "I shall participate in this challenge!"

"Yeah, yeah, all right." Chris said. "All of you just make it over to the challenge place."

"You need to think of a better word for that." Chef remarked.

"Shut up, I'm still only working with a half completed script." Chris told him.

"Man, I thought we were havin' a bigger budget." Chef said.

"Let's just stop complaining and get out of here." Chris replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I have a really weird feeling about this season." Cody admitted. "Everything seems to be on a shoestring budget. Like, even more than it usually is. I know it's probably nothing to worry about... But still."

* * *

A little while later, both teams had arrived at studio number eight where Chris and Chef were standing right by the machine that started up the virtual reality simulation.

"Glad you could all make it." Chris said.

"So Chris, what's your super awesome challenge gonna be today?" Topher asked.

"Okay, first off, you're still kinda creepy, Topher." Chris told him.

"Meh, I've seen creepier." Amy remarked.

"Nobody asked you." Chris said. "Anyway, as or today's challenge, I'm about to tell you. Today's challenge is themed after everybody's favourite horror subgenre: Vampire movies!"

"Aw man, I was hoping you'd say zombie movies." Shawn commented.

"Sorry dude, not giving your team the advantage just yet." Chris informed him. "But be patient, it'll happen."

"So what exactly are the rules for this vampire challenge?" Lightning asked. "Does Lightning get to beat up some vampires?"

"If you want." Chris replied. "But it's probably not a good idea. The basic idea of the challenge is that all of you are looked in a creepy old castle located somewhere vaguely in Eastern Europe. But there's a clan of vampires in there that are trying to hunt you down and drink your blood. Whichever team has more members left by the time the sun rises wins."

"Uh, I'm sorry, whadda you mean by 'Has more left'?" Anne Maria asked.

"Oh yeah, if the vampires get to you. You're out of the challenge." Chris explained. "Don't worry, this stuff isn't advanced enough to let you feel pain."

"Um... Yay, I guess." Zoey remarked.

"Quick question. Are these the sexy kind of vampires or the creepy kind?" Amy asked.

"Oh, definitely the creepy kind." Chris replied.

"Ah, dammit." Amy said.

"But anyway, let's stop standing around and talking and actually get into the challenge." Chris told them. "Take your places while Chef and I set up the machine."

The contestants sat down at the various chairs lining the room and the two hosts approached the machine. Chef pressed several buttons and pulled a lever. The machine made some noise but nothing happened.

"Uh... Are we in the computer yet?" Dave asked.

"Just a sec, this thing's still kind of buggy." Chef told them.

Chef pressed a few more buttons and the machine began making more noise.

"That'll do it." Chef remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"Even after being out of my bubble for this long, I still get frightened very easily." Cameron explained. "So this whole vampire challenge sort of freaked me out."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the members of the Irritable Actors found themselves standing in the courtyard of an ancient stone castle. In the courtyard garden, there were many old statues of people and animals scattered throughout it, some in better condition than others.

"Okay, this place already had a pretty high creep factor." Justin noted.

"Totally." Sierra agreed.

"Hey, uh, Topher, since you're the leader, apparently, what do you think we should do?" Anne Maria asked.

"I say we take the fight to these vampires!" Max declared. "Build a death trap for them and exterminate them all! Mwahahaha!"

"Dude, nobody asked your opinion." Scott remarked.

"Yeah, jeez, can ya at least _try_ to say something normal." Anne Maria added.

"Well, as for _my_ plan. I say we treat this like a game of hide and seek." Topher explained. "So everyone, let's find a really good hiding spot and stay there."

"Uh, where exactly can we hide in a creepy castle?" Zoey pointed out.

"Um... I'll work on that part." Topher stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Heh, heh, I think I may be a bit in over my head with the whole 'Team Leader' thing." Topher admitted. "Maybe declaring myself as being in charge in the first challenge wasn't such a good idea."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Demented Directors were getting their bearings inside a large empty ballroom with stained glass windows and a large organ against one wall.

"Ugh, whoever decorated this place should be fired." Amy remarked. "Gothic 18th century is not an 'In' look at all."

"Okay team, even though zombies and vampires are different, I think I can still be of value." Shawn spoke up. "Who's with me?"

"Meh... I guess, maybe." Cody replied. "I'm not really sure."

"Lightning's all for it, man!" Lightning cheered.

"Shh! Dude, there are vampires in here." Tyler reminded him in a hushed tone.

"Oh, right, sorry bro." Lightning apologized. "It's just, Lightning thinks zombie boy would be good since he's a crazy survivalist or whatever."

"Thank you." Shawn replied. "So _now_ who's with me?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Gwen said. "Don't have many other choices."

"I think we can trust Shawn, guys." Sky remarked.

"Okay Shawn, what's your plan?" Cameron asked.

"The way I see it, we need to get to higher ground." Shawn explained.

"And why's that?" Amy asked.

"Well, the way I see it, vampires don't like sunlight, right?" Shawn began. "So, the higher we go up, the more likely the sun rises and they turn to dust. So that way, they're less likely to chase us higher."

"Huh, I gues that kinda makes sense." Cody remarked. "All right, we'll follow your leader."

"Don't worry, you're not gonna regret this." Shawn stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"No offence to Jo, but now that she's gone, I've got a feeling our team will be just a bit more functional." Shawn commented.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Actors were wandering through an old dusty corridor of the castle with Topher in front.

"I don't like this place." DJ remarked.

"Ha! Coward." Max laughed.

"Shh, there are vampires in here. We don't want them to hear us." Sierra reminded him.

"Don't worry guys, just pretend like this is an episode of Scooby Doo." Topher said. "That should keep you calm."

"Do you even know where we're going?" Anne Maria asked.

"Don't question my leadership." Topher stated. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

The team continued walking for a short bit in complete silence. As they walked, Dave felt a cold hand on his should which caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"Guys, how many people are on our team?" Dave asked as his team kept walking ahead of him.

"Nine." Justin replied, not looking back at Dave. "Why do you ask?"

"So... If I'm in the back of the group... Who's hand is on my shoulder?" Dave nervously asked.

The rest of the team turned around and saw a tall pale man in dark clothing with clawed hands and sharp teeth standing behind Dave.

"Ah!" DJ let out a high pitched scream. "Run for your lives!"

Dave took a few steps away from the vampire and turned around to get a better look at it.

"Oh yeah, we should do that."

In a panic, the members of the Actors ran down the hallway. When they came to a corner Topher, Max, and Sierra turned while the rest kept running straight ahead.

"Wait, don't split up!" Justin shouted over to them. "Do you guys know anything about horror films?"

"I don't think they can hear us." Scott pointed out.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"Splittin' up probably wasn't such a good idea." Anne Maria commented. "But how was I s'posed to know those three idiots were gonna go the wrong way"

* * *

Meanwhile, back over with the other team, the Directors were walking up a long, spiraling flight of stairs.

"Oh my god, how many stairs are here?" Amy complained from the back of the group. "This is so boring."

"Ah, stop complainin'." Lightning told her.

"Yeah, it's easy once you get the hang of it." Tyler added.

"Didn't you fall over just like, three minutes ago?" Amy asked.

"Uh, I don't remember that." Tyler quickly denied. "Let's, um, just keep walking."

"Don't worry guys, this is definitely a tower. We're bound to reach a roof of some kind eventually." Shawn assured his team.

"I hope so." Cody remarked. "There's not much to look at here."

"Oh, so he gets to complain and I don't." Amy said. "Totally unfair."

"He does it in a way that's less annoying." Gwen stated.

"Ah, thank you _Gwen_." Cody remarked, attempting to sound as charming as possible.

"Oh god, no." Gwen said.

"Can everyone just be quiet." Sky requested. "Let's just focus on the climb and get this creepy challenge over with."

The rest of the team compiled and walked in complete silence for a few moments. However, this silence was quickly broken when the team heard an odd heavy breathing coming from a location none of them could identify.

"Um, who's doing that?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah... That sounds more than a little ominous." Gwen agreed.

Amy looked up at the ceiling and saw a short bald man with pale skin in dark clothing hanging from a loose stone in the ceiling. This shocking sight caused her to freeze up.

"Oh god... I regret looking up..." Amy trailed off.

The rest of the team glanced upwards out of curiosity and saw the same pale man.

"Okay! New plan everybody! Evasive maneuvers!" Shawn announced.

The team turned around and began to run down the stairs as the vampire jumped down from the ceiling. The short vampire pounced onto Shawn's back and pinned him down to the stairs.

"Gah!" Shawn screamed.

"Don't worry bro, Lightning's here to help!" Lightning proclaimed, turning around to help Shawn.

"No! You all keep going without me!" Shawn ordered him, trying desperately to push the vampire away. "I'll probably catch up, don't worry."

"If you say so, man." Lightning replied.

Lightning continued to run with the rest of his team down the stairs.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"It turns out, making a heroic sacrifice is not very fun." Shawn remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Actors, minus Topher, Max, and Sierra, were running through the dusty halls.

"Do you think we lost that vampire creep?" Justin wondered.

"By now, I say we probably have." Zoey replied.

"Then can we please slow down?" Dave requested. "I'm feeling tired."

The team collectively slowed themselves to a walking speed.

"Hey, so, uh, now that Topher is... Somewhere, who should be in charge?" DJ asked.

"Well, I personally think I'm the most qualified." Scott stated.

"Haha, no way, man." Justin told him. "Not after what you pulled this morning."

"Yeah, clearly _I_ should be our leader here." Anne Maria said.

"Nah, I'm not for that one either." Justin remarked.

"Uh, maybe I could." Dave volunteered.

"Nope, you don't seem like you'd be leader material either." Justin said. "Maybe someone handsome, smart, muscular... Other positive qualities."

"Well, if you're such an expert on who should lead us how about you do it yourself." Dave half-jokingly suggested.

"Thank you for the suggestion Dave. I hereby elect myself as the leader!" Justin declared. "C'mon team, follow me!"

Justin began walking ahead of the team. Her teammates, not sure what else to do, followed her.

"Are- Are we really doing this?" Zoey asked in disbelief, stuttering a little.

"I'm with you, Red. This don't seem right." Anne Maria admitted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"You know, I don't think Justin knew what he was doing." DJ commented.

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, the Directors were walking through another one of the many stone hallways. All team members seemed to be highly suspicious, constantly glancing over their shoulders.

"So, uh, do you think Shawn's okay?" Cameron asked.

"Definitely not." Amy replied.

"Oh dear... This is not good..." Cameron muttered to himself.

"C'mon Amy, try to be positive about this." Sky advised her.

"Okay, fine." Amy said. "I'm-"

"And don't say 'I'm positive that he's not okay'." Sky interrupted.

"Dammit." Amy remarked. "You know me way too well."

"Can everyone just be quiet." Gwen requested.

"I dunno, last time we got quiet that vampire got the jump on us." Tyler pointed out.

"But if we weren't quiet, then we wouldn't have been able to hear it coming at all." Cody said.

"Okay, good point." Tyler admitted. "Let's all be quiet."

The team fell silent and continued to walk. After a few seconds, they heard the faint noise of scurrying feet coming from in front of them.

"Um, is that the sound vampires make?" Lightning asked.

"I don't think so." Sky replied. "It might be the other team, actually."

"Let's be ready to run just in case." Cameron suggested.

"I like that plan." Cody agreed.

The team stood frozen as the sound of running got closer. The next thing the Directors saw was Topher, Max, and Sierra coming around the corner.

"Look out, people!" Sierra exclaimed.

The trio crashed into the team in front of them and all the contestants ended up in a big pile on the ground.

"Ugh... What just happened..." Topher groaned.

The group of competitors all slowly stood up.

"What are you three doing here?" Gwen asked.

"Ha! I could be asking you the same thing." Max said.

"Well, we're here because we're a team." Sky told him. "Where are the rest of your guys?"

"We kinda got a little separated." Topher explained. "But, uh, no worries, everything should be fine. I'm sure they can handle themselves."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"All that stuff was a lie." Topher stated. "I was pretty sure that my team was doomed."

* * *

"Hey, so, uh, Cody's team, can we follow you around for a bit?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah, no not letting that happen." Amy told them. "You all can fend for yourselves."

"Oh my god what's that behind you!" Topher exclaimed, pointing at something behind the Directors.

"Really? You think we're gonna fall for that one?" Cody asked.

Cameron took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw the same short bald vampire that attacked them on the stairs slowly walking towards them.

"Ah! He was right!" Cameron exclaimed.

The rest of the Directors turned around and saw the vampire approaching them.

"Okay, fine, we'll call a truce so we can escape together." Amy remarked. "Everybody run!"

The Directors, and one-quarter of the Actors, began running down the hall together away from the vampire.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Running away from a killer vampire would usually be terrifying. But running away from a killer vampire with Cody made it worth it." Sierra said,

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the rest of the Actors, the team had been led by Justin into an old dusty library inside the castle.

"Okay, why'd you bring us here?" Zoey asked.

"Y'see young lady, in all those old movies and cartoons there are secret passages behind bookcases." Justin began to explain. "So, I figure, there are the most places bookcases: A library. If we find a secret bookcase passage, we'll be totally safe. Makes sense, right?"

"That sounds like a terrible plan." Dave commented.

"Okay, smart guy, what would you do?" Justin asked.

"Something smarter, that's for sure." Dave claimed.

"Pfft, yeah right." Justin remarked. "I bet you don't have any ideas."

"Oh my god, will both of you please shut up?" Scott grumpily requested.

"You said it." Anne Maria added. "It's gettin' real obnoxious."

"All right, fine." Justin said. "C'mon, everyone, start pulling books off the shelves that are close to the wall. We need to find a passage of some kind."

"Fine, but I still think your whole idea is stupid." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I try not to think of myself as an angry person." Dave told the camera. "But sometimes, there are just people I can't stand."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Justin)**

"The way I see it, Topher was the second most handsome person on the team, since he was out of the picture, the most handsome person on the team, me, got the be in charge." Justin explained. "Plus I'm just flawless in every way."

* * *

The scene shifted to DJ and Scott over by a bookshelf that was pressed against the wall. They each were pulling random books off said shelf in hopes that Justin's plan would work.

"So, um, have you reconsidered my alliance?" Scott asked.

"Nope, not even a little." DJ told him.

"Ah c'mon, I can be trusted now." Scott insisted. "Didn't you see All-Stars? That shark attack changed my life."

"Shark attack?" DJ confusedly asked.

"Oh, yeah, I was attacked by a shark in season four." Scott explained. "But anyway, that's not important. What is important is you trusting me."

"Still not happening, man." DJ said. "I'm an honest guy and I don't think I really trust you."

"C'mon buddy, you believe in second chances, don't you?" Scott argued. "I'm a very-"

Scott was cut off when the book he pulled off the shelf caused the book cause to begin turning. DJ stepped out of the way just in time but the twirling book cause swept Scott behind it to wherever it led.

"Whoa! You okay man!?" DJ shouted out, hoping Scott could hear him.

"Help! There's a vampire back here!" Scott screamed. "Make this thing spin back around!"

"I don't know how to!" DJ exclaimed.

All the shouting attracted the rest of the team over to the area.

"What's happening over here?" Justin asked.

"Scott's trapped behind the bookcase and he's being attacked by a vampire!" DJ frantically explained.

"Do we have to help him?" Dave suggested. "I mean, he's kind of a jerk."

"He's still a person." Zoey said. "Not a very pleasant person, but still a person."

"Then let's get to work on moving this bookcase!" Justin exclaimed.

Before they could continue, the bookcase spun back around. Only instead of Scott like they expected, the tall vampire from earlier was standing there, baring its teeth at the team.

"I don't think that's Scott..." Justin trailed off in terror.

"Ya think?" Anne Maria sarcastically asked.

"Everybody run!" Dave screamed

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Man, they just let me get attacked by a vampire back there." Scott remarked. "So much for teamwork."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors, still being tailed by Max, Topher, and Sierra, were walking down a staircase in another part of the castle.

"Uh, not to be a bother, but wasn't Shawn's plan to go _up_?" Cameron pointed out.

"Look, man, this is where we just ended up when we ran, okay." Tyler stated.

"Well, maybe we should turn around." Cameron suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Sky admitted.

The group collectively, and awkwardly, shifted around their position and began waking the stairs.

"Oh god, how far down did we go?" Cody wondered.

"Don't worry Cody, you still have _me_ to talk to." Sierra said.

"Oh c'mon, Sierra. I thought you were over me." Cody remarked.

"I am." Sierra insisted. "Well, mostly."

"Great..." Cody nervously trailed off.

"Hey, guys, what are the chances of these vampires finding and attacking us again?" Amy wondered.

"Pretty high." Sky told her.

"Ugh, ever heard of being comforting." Amy grumbled.

"Ha! I sure am glad I'm not on your team." Max remarked. "It seems like all the losers are on this team."

"Bro, isn't the funny hair dude your leader?" Lightning asked.

"Hey, my hair isn't funny." Topher claimed. "It's _stylish_ all right."

"I dunno, it kinda makes your head look like a birds nest." Tyler chimed in.

"Seriously?" Topher asked.

"Seriously." Tyler confirmed.

"Oh my god, I do not want to be here right now." Gwen commented. "Why is this what I'm doing with my life?"

"You okay, girlie?" Lightning asked.

"Um, yeah, sure, I guess." Gwen replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"How much time have I spent on this show when I was a teenager?" Gwen wondered to nobody in particular. "Instead of like... I dunno, getting a summer job or spending time with my family."

* * *

As the Directors, and three Actors, continued to walk up the staircase, they heard more footsteps coming from ahead of them.

"Oh god, we're walking ahead on into a vampire ambush, aren't we?" Tyler asked in a hushed tone.

"It's not really an ambush if we hear them coming." Cameron pointed out.

"We can talk semantics later." Sky told him. "Right now, we need to start backing away."

Before the team could turn around again the footsteps got close enough for the bodies attached to them to come into view. Out from the shadows ahead of them stepped the members of the Actors.

"Oh, hey guys!" Topher cheered.

"Boy, it's a relief to see you guys." Zoey remarked. "We thought those vampires got you."

"No, but we still had the unfortunate fate of having to suffer through these imbeciles." Max side-eyed the other team.

"Oh, shut up, you purple haired dwarf." Amy told him.

"Hey, where's Scott?" Sierra asked.

"He got a little... Eaten by a vampire." Justin explained.

"Could be worse though." Dave remarked. "From the looks of things we're still in the lead."

"We'd better split off from each other." Sky suggested. "Having both teams in the same place seems kinda weird."

"Well one of us needs to move to the side first." Anne Maria pointed out. "There ain't exactly much room on the stairs."

"All right, but fair warning, going _downstairs_ probably isn't the best idea." Cody told the opposing team.

"Don't warn them, you idiot!" Amy scolded Cody.

"Jeez, I'm sorry." Cody replied.

"Doesn't really matter since me, Max and Sierra were already with you for like, a while." Topher pointed out.

"Oh my god, can we all just get moving please?" Gwen requested. "I'm sick of just standing around."

Before this conversation could continue anymore, the two vampires that had been hounding the teams jumped down from the ceiling and landed between the two groups. A third tall, slender, female vampire dropped down after those two.

"Ah! Dammit! Start runnin' again!" Anne Maria screamed.

Amy quickly pushed Topher over towards the vampires and then made a run down the stairs.

"Hey!" Topher exclaimed from the ground. "You can't just-"

Topher was interrupted when the female vampire picked him up and bit into his neck. After this, Topher was absorbed by a bright light which caused him to disappear.

"Oh dear..." Cameron muttered.

With this, the rest of Directors ran down the stairs away from the vampires while the remaining Actors stood still in fear.

"Guys... Shouldn't we be running?" Sierra asked.

"You two run down the stairs." Justin told Max and Sierra. "The rest of us will go up the stairs."

"Hmmph, fine." Max said.

Max and Sierra began running down the stairs while the rest of their team scurried up. The vampires followed the larger group of people.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"We were so competent in the last challenge." Dave remarked. "So what the hell happened?"

* * *

The Actors reached the top of the stairs and got into the hallway with the vampires in hor pursuit. DJ glanced out the window and he saw the faintest rays of sunlight peaking over the horizon.

"Hey! I think the sun's startin' to rise!" DJ cheered.

"Great, now we just gotta try to not die." Anne Maria remarked.

The tallest vampire jumped forwards and landed on top of Zoey, pinning her to the ground.

"Ah!" Zoey screamed and attempted to push the vampire away from her.

"Don't worry, I'll help!" DJ exclaimed as he ran over to Zoey.

He grabbed the small vampire and pried it off Zoey. The vampire flailed around its arms in an attempt to attack something but DJ, in a panic, ended up throwing it straight out one of the castle's windows.

"Eek! I hate that thing!" DJ screamed.

"Guys, we still got trouble." Justin pointed out. "As your leader, I command you to do something!"

The team looked at the other two vampires slowly approaching them.

"Uh, don't worry, I'm sure the sun will rise soon, right?" Dave said hopefully.

Both vampires began running directly at Dave. He stood frozen in place by fear as the vampires dogpiled him and attempted to bite him. Dave tried to push both of them off but his efforts were beginning to fail.

"DJ! Can you help me with these guys!" Dave panicked.

"Huh, oh, okay." DJ replied. "Uh, hold on, man."

DJ rushed over to help and grabbed the tall male vampire by the shoulders. He began to pull the vampire away from Dave causing it to hiss in anger. While DJ was occupied with the first vampire, the female vampire managed to overpower Dave and bite down on his neck. This caused Dave to disappear after a flash of white light.

"Oh... That is not good." Justin remarked.

"Hey, I think this means we're behind the other team." Zoey realized.

"Uh, don't worry, this is just a minor setback." Justin said. "All we have to do is send these guys after the other team and we should be A-okay."

Suddenly, sunlight shined in through the windows disintegrating the two vampires into nothing but ashes.

"Would ya look at that, we're safe." DJ remarked.

"Uh, don't this mean the challenge is over?" Anne Maria pointed out.

"And I think we lost." Zoey added.

The Actors disappeared in another flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"What the heck happened back there?" Zoey wondered. "We did all right last time but everything went all chaotic in this challenge."

* * *

Back in the real world, the visors on the helmets of the contestants that remained in the challenge flipped up, snapping them back to reality.

"And it looks like that's it for our challenge!" Chris announced.

"Ah dammit, we lost, didn't we?" Anne Maria predicted.

"Yep, pretty much." Chris said. "You had one less contestant on your team than the Directors did. Which means you're the losers and they're the winners."

"Yeah! Woohoo! We're awesome!" Tyler cheered.

"Ugh, tone it down, weirdo." Amy told him.

"Are you ever happy?" Cody asked her.

"Only when I get to put other people down." Amy replied.

"God, you're scary sometimes." Sky remarked.

"Ahem, handsome host over here." Chris attempted to regain their attention. "Thank you. Anyway, Chef's got a nice lunch prepared for you all. So enjoy. Except for the Actors, you have to think about who you're gonna kick off tonight."

"Don't worry, I already have _several_ ideas." Scott remarked.

"Haha, great." Chris chuckled.

* * *

 **(C** **onfessional: Scott)**

"I'm real mad at my team." Scott stated. "Not only did they let me get killed by a vampire but they also lost the challenge! Why is that even a sentence I have to say?"

* * *

A little while later, both teams sat at separate tables and ate plates of what appeared to be some kind of potato salad. The camera focused in on the winning team of the Demented Directors.

"All right, here's to us." Sky remarked. "We recovered from yesterday's defeat with incredible grace."

"Ugh, no need to be so pretentious about it." Amy complained.

"Seriously, are you able to be happy at all?" Cody asked.

"Oh, will you drop it?" Amy replied.

"Let's all just be glad that we're on top." Tyler told her.

"Yeah, you all did pretty good without me." Shawn admitted. "Hopefully I'll be more useful in the next challenge."

"Could be a zombie movie challenge." Lightning speculated. "You like zombies, don'cha?"

"Well, I more like _surviving_ them than zombies themselves." Shawn answered.

"Meh, that sounds close enough for me." Lightning commented.

"Who do you think the others will vote for today?" Cameron wondered.

"It could be anyone." Gwen said. "Seriously, they looked like they were in complete chaos today."

"Well, I have a feeling that without Jo to weigh us down, we'll be winning a lot more challenges from now on." Sky predicted. "So let's get used to this."

"Yeah! Woo! What she said!" Tyler cheered.

"Uh, all right." Cameron said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Okay fine, I might have been a bit cocky about winning." Sky admitted. "But what can I say, it feels good to win. Especially after losing the first challenge."

* * *

The camera panned to the actors at their table, eating their potato salad and looking upset about it.

"This sucks..." Zoey mumbled.

"Oh gee, I didn't notice." Max sarcastically remarked.

"If Topher hadn't gone and split off with those two, none of the bad stuff would've happened." Justin said, looking over at Sierra and Max.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, as much as I don't care for Topher, this is your fault too." Scott told him.

"My fault? What'd I do?" Justin asked. "If you want someone to be a patsy, blame Dave. He was the last one to get bitten."

"Hey!" Dave exclaimed.

"Yeah, but if it wasn't for you declaring yourself the leader, we probably would have done better." Scott said. "Seriously, why did nobody want to listen to me?"

"Well, it's not like you're exactly the most trustworthy guy." Justin argued.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Scott asked.

"Knock it off!" Anne Maria yelled.

"Uh, what she means is, let's just calm down." DJ told them.

"Yeah, de-escalate the stituation." Sierra added.

"Hmmph, fine." Justin said. "But I'm still not the reason we lost."

"How about we agree it's nobody's fault?" Topher suggested. "That way everyone's happy."

"Shut up, Topher." Scott told him.

"Heh, okay then." Topher said. "Shutting up. As quiet as a mouse. Yes sir, that's m-"

"Seriously, _shut up_." Scott repeated.

Topher, now taking the hint, quietly nodded in response.

"Thank you." Scott halfheartedly said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Justin)**

"I really hope there's less arguing on my team after this elimination ceremony." Justin commented. "'Cause, let me tell ya, it gets old real fast."

* * *

A little while later, the members of the Irritable Actors were sitting the audience in front of a stage that Chris was on. He carried a plate with eight golden statues of himself on it.

"So, you're all probably very excited to get your hands on these mini-mes. But not until you vote." Chris told them. "So, without further ado, get your anger towards your teammates out and head right to the voting area. Have fun."

* * *

 **(V** **oting Confessional: DJ)**

"It's between either Scott or Justin for me." DJ admitted. "Scott's a jerk but Justin wasn't all that great at leading us. Real tough call, right here."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Justin)**

Justin drew an X over a photo of Scott.

"Scott, buddy, I'm sure you're nice once I get to know you." Justin began. "But it just doesn't seem like I can trust you. So see ya later."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott crossed out a picture of Justin.

"Rejecting the alliance was strike one, messing up the challenge was strike two, and in my ballpark, there are no third strikes." Scott stated. "You're out."

Scott paused for a bit and laughed to himself.

"Heh, that actually sounded pretty cool." Scott remarked to nobody in particular.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave held up a photograph of Justin with an X drawn on it.

"Scott may be a snake, but at least he has the sense not to stick his nose where it doesn't belong." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra drew several X's over a picture of Dave and held it to the camera.

"Sorry, you don't seem too bad. But you're pretty weak." Sierra told the camera. "And, might I add, not as cute as Cody."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Max)**

Max angrily scribbled over a photograph of Justin.

"You insolent fool!" Max yelled. "You ruined this challenge for all of us! You shall pay, you hear me, pay! Ahahaha!"

Max paused for a second and smiled to himself.

"Yes, that was good." Max remarked. "I should write that whole thing down for future use."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Zoey)**

Zoey held up an X'd out photo of Scott.

"I just don't trust you based on your history." Zoey explained. "Simple as that, really."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Anne Maria)**

Anne Maria held a scribbled over photo of Scott to the camera.

"Justin's a narcissistic idiot, but he prob'ly ain't dangerous." Anne Maria explained. "You on the other hand, I ain't trustin' you, Scott."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher drew an X over a picture of Dave.

"Gonna be honest, I was away from you for most of the challenge." Topher admitted. "But physically speaking, you're one of our weakest members."

* * *

The scene changed back to Chris on the stage with the contestants in the audience.

"Okay, let's get through this quickly I'm a very busy man." Chris told the contestants. "My favourite pizza shop closes in five- Uh, I mean I have a date to go on with my girlfriend."

"You don't have a girlfriend, Chris." Topher remarked. "I should know, I'm an expert on all things McLean."

"Uh, let's just announce the results!" Chris quickly exclaimed. DJ, Zoey, Topher, Sierra, Max, and Anne Maria. You're all safe."

Chris threw the six of them Gilded Chris Awards.

"Dave, Scott, Justin, I'm going to give the next Gilded Chris Award away." Chris explained. "And it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Dave!"

Dave caught his award.

"Ha! That was close." Dave remarked.

"And now we have one more Chris Award to give away." Chris explained. "And the very final one goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Scott!"

Chris threw the last awards to him.

"Aw man, I thought I was doing pretty well." Justin remarked.

"No you weren't, not even a little." Scott told him.

"Justin, please head on down to our Lame-O-Sine." Chris instructed him.

Justin complied and began walking down the red carpet over to the limousine.

"Whatever, it's impossible for a limo ride to be terrible." Justin said.

The model entered the car and sat down.

"Ick, did someone spill soda in here?" Justin wondered. "And why's it smell like fish?"

Justin paused for a second and crossed his arms.

"Fine, maybe it is possible for a limo ride to suck." Justin admitted. "Let's just get out of here."

The camera cut to the outside of the limo as it drove away and then back to Chris still up on stage.

"And it looks like that's it for today's Total Drama Champions." Chris remarked. "I'm your host Chris McLean. And I'm going to go meet my girlfriend and not go to my favourite pizzeria. Yep, definitely what I'm doing."

"The more ya say it the less we believe you!" Anne Maria called out from off camera.

"Shut up!" Chris yelled back. "Um, anyway, I hope you folks at home enjoyed watching this weeks installment of Total. Drama. Champions!"

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Scott, Sierra, Max, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Cody, Sky, Tyler, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

 **Votes:**

DJ: Justin

Justin: Scott

Max: Justin

Scott: Justin

Sierra: Dave

Topher: Dave

Dave: Justin

Anne Maria: Scott

Zoey: Scott

 **Results:**

Justin: 4 Votes

Scott: 3 Votes

Dave: 2 Votes

* * *

 **Well, that's about it for this chapter. Random fact, the descriptions of the vampires in this chapter were loosely based off the appearance of Count Orlok on the silent vampire film "Nosferatu". Anyway, I had more fun writing this chapter than the last and I hope you had fun reading it. I always sorta had Justin slated as an early boot. Never had going further than about 14th. But in this case he was the second one out. Anyway, that's it for now. Leave a review if you'd like. Thanks for reading.**


	3. O Teammates, Where Art Thou?

**Time for another one of these. I really wish I had something interesting to say at the beginning but I just can't think of anything. So I'm just going to respond to your reviews first:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thanks again.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Glad you liked the chapter. You know, I've never actually watched any of the Twilight movies.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** I've never actually seen Nosferatu either. I just know the famous way the character looks.

 **That British Guy (Guest):** Yeah, Justin never really stood out too much to me either. But I feel like it'd be fun to challenge myself by writing a story where he's a larger focus at some point.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** That's an interesting concpet for a challenge. But I've never actually seen Tomorrowland. But I guess I'll try to watch it now.

 **AaronwillWin:** Like I said before, I would like to give Justin a bigger role in the future. But in this case, there were other characters I wanted to focus on.

 **And that's all there is there. Please enjoy the rest of this chapter.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our teams went out on a dark and stormy night in our vampire-themed challenge. Most of them were scared silly. And when the Actors split up, it was Justin that took charge. But this didn't work out so well for him when his team lost and he was voted off the show. Sorry Justin, but your looks can't always help you. So, with the team numbers evened out, who will be the next to go? It could be anyone. Stay tuned to find out, on Total. Drama. Champions."

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On an early morning at the film studio, the camera focused in on both teams eating their breakfast which seemed to consist of just some oatmeal. The camera zoomed in on the Irritable Actors attempting to enjoy their breakfast.

"It'll get better from here, right?" DJ asked his team. "We can recover from losing."

"We only lost last time because Justin was the leader instead of me." Topher replied. "So as long as I'm leader everything should be A-okay."

"Yeah, sure." Scott said, he angrily looked down at his bowl of oatmeal.

"Are you okay?" Zoey asked him.

"Zoey, could you not bother me right now, I'm trying to think." Scott told her.

"I say if we want to win we need to sabotage the other team." Max suggested.

"Max, do you ever _think_ before you start talking?" Dave asked.

"All I ever think about is pure evil!" Max declared.

"Ugh, why is _this_ my team?" Anne Maria complained to herself.

"We could hear that you know." Sierra told her.

"Wait, really?" Anne Maria asked.

"Uh huh, sure could." DJ confirmed Sierra's comment.

"Ah, dammit." Anne Maria remarked. "Whatever, I'm sure half of you are thinkin' the same thing."

"Maybe just a little." Dave admitted. "Okay, more than a little."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I'm very unhappy about losing." Dave stated. "Mostly because I'm not exactly this team's strongest member and that means it makes me a slight target for elimination. So we'd better do well in this next round."

* * *

The camera panned over to the Directors eating their breakfast.

"Hey guys, was your oatmeal weirdly chewy too?" Cody asked his teammates.

"Nah man, Lightning's tastes kinda crunchy." Lightning replied.

"Actually, crunchy is a texture, not a flavour." Cameron pointed out.

"Ha, nerd alert, am I right!" Lightning held his hand out expecting a high five from someone.

Nobody responded to the high five.

"Okay, Lightning can take a hint." Lightning said, putting his hand down.

"So what do you guys think the next challenge is gonna be like?" Tyler wondered.

"We've been over this before, we have Chris plus virtual reality. It could literally be anything he wants it to be." Gwen told him.

"She's got a point." Sky admitted.

"Don't worry guys, this time, I promise to be a leader who isn't killed by vampires." Shawn told his team.

"Pfft, we did fine without you last time." Amy told him. "Maybe someone else should be leader."

"Oh c'mon, I'd be great as leader." Shawn claimed. "Just give me a chance."

"Already did that." Amy said. "And you didn't do well at all."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I don't believe in second chances." Amy told the camera. "It makes people way too weak if they think they're expected to mess up at least once."

* * *

Breakfast had ended, and behind the cafeteria, Zoey was talking to Max.

"Okay, you have some explaining to do. Why is it the first thing you said when we finished breakfast was to follow you back here?" Zoey asked. "Actually, why did I even listen?"

"I have an offer to make you." Max explained. "You become my sidekick, and the two of us take over the world together! Or, just make it to the finale. Either one works."

"Are you seriously proposing an alliance?" Zoey asked. "Not to sound rude, but I barely know you."

"My previous sidekick was a red haired female." Max explained. "So, you being the only red haired female on this team seemed to be destined to be my brand new sidekick."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure I really like you or trust you." Zoey admitted. "No offence, really."

"Hmm, very well." Max commented. "But remember, my offer still stands."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I hate to be judgemental, but that guy was just plain weird." Zoey remarked. "That said... I should probably team up with somebody at some point."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the cabins, Gwen, Tyler, and Cody were talking underneath a tree.

"Guys, I've got a few questions for you." Gwen told them.

"Huh? Whatta you mean?" Tyler asked. "Are you trying to form an alliance?"

"If you are, I'd like to say yes." Cody added.

"What? No, that's not it." Gwen said. "I just wanted to know if you guys feel old?"

"Old? What do you mean?" Tyler remarked. "Aren't you like, still in college?"

"Exactly." Gwen replied. "The three of us are like, what, nineteen or twenty. And the rest of these guys are like sixteen or seventeen. Doesn't that feel weird?"

"I think that's just a you thing." Cody remarked.

"Yeah, I hadn't really thought about it." Tyler added. "Maybe you should just try not think about it."

"Hmm, maybe you're right." Gwen admitted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Why am I so stressed this season?" Gwen wondered. "Maybe I should try talking to more people."

* * *

The camera cut to a close up of a speaker that was part of the speakersystem set up around the film lot.

"Good morning teams!" Chris cheered through the speaker. "Guess what! We fixed the PA system. Also, it's time for today's exciting new challenge. So head on down to studio eight for some-"

The PA system unexpectedly cut out midway through Chris' announcement.

The scene then switched over to the two teams arriving inside the warehouse that contained the virtual reality equipment. Chris and Chef were already waiting in there.

"Great to see you all." Chris greeted. "Sorry about the announcement getting cut off. Looks not being used for several seasons did a number on it. Don't worry though, I'm sure we can fix it."

"Ugh, less talk, more explaining." Amy told him.

"Maybe I'd get to that part faster if you weren't so mouthy, missy." Chris told her.

"Did you really just say 'Missy'?" Sky asked. "That sounded really weird coming from you."

"You see it's interruptions like this that keep me from doing my job." Chris commented.

"Please just hurry, I ain't a patient gal." Anne Maria remarked.

"All right, I'm going to start now. At this very second." Chris said.

"Then go!" Max told him.

"Okay, here we go." Chris began. "Today's challenge is based off a classic movie about escaping the law."

"Shawshank Redemption?" Scott guessed.

"No." Chris answered.

"Is it The Great Escape?" Tyler asked.

"How about The Fugitive?" Zoey guessed.

"Can every please stop guessing?" Chris requested. "Thank you. Anyway, the movie this challenge is based on is the film 'O Brother, Where Art Thou'."

Nobody responded to this information.

"What film is that?" Lightning broke the silence.

"Really, nobody's heard of it?" Chris remarked.

"No, it sounds familiar." Gwen told him. "But I don't really know what it's about."

"Actualy, I wanna quickly bring up that we legally couldn't base too much of what happens on the actual plot." Chris explained. "But we took the outline for that movie and kinda just ran with it."

"Oh my god, just explain the challenge." Amy impatienlty demanded.

"Just keeping the show our of legal trouble." Chris explained.

"Fair enough." Gwen remarked. "But get to the good part now."

"Anyway, all of you get to be escaped prisons in 1930's Mississippi." Chris explained. "And the goal is to find an old cabin out in the woods."

"Why are we looking for that?" Cameron ask

"If you saw the movie, it would make sense." Chris told him. "Anyway, the team to make it there first with all their members wins the challenge. But be warned, virtual law enforcement will be hunting you down. So good luck."

"All right people, you know what to do." Chef said. "Take a seat and we can get things started."

The competitors sat down in the chairs set up around the room and put on the helmets.

"Okay Chef, fire up the machine." Chris told him.

"You got it, Chris." Chef replied.

He pressed several buttons on the machine, flicked two switches, and pulled down a large lever.

"Have fun, everyone." Chef remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"I was looking forward to this challenge very much." Max told the camera. "Since none of my evil schemes have worked yet, this would be my first encounter evading the law."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the members of the Demented Directors found themselves in a field that seemed to belong to a farm. A few yards behind them was a group of prisoners on a chain gang but the guards near them looked like they hadn't noticed the team yet. All the members of the team were wearing old, black and white striped prison uniforms. As the Directors got a hold of their surroundings they saw that they were all chained together in groups of two. Gwen was chained to Cameron, Sky was chained to Amy, Cody and Tyler were stuck together, and Lightning and Shawn were chained up too.

"Ugh, seriously? Stripes are not flattering to my figure." Amy complained.

"Really? That's what you're worried about?" Gwen asked. "Not the fact that all of us are chained up?"

"Oh yeah, I guess that's important too." Amy admitted. "So, uh, does anyone have a plan?"

"Yeah, where even is this cabin?" Tyler added.

"I think I know." Shawn told them.

"Really? How?" Cameron asked.

"I'm not sure." Shawn admitted. "But when I thought of how we could get to this goal, it kinda just came to me. Must be something programmed into the game. You guys try it."

"Oh yeah, I can see it in my head now." Tyler remarked. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

Tyler began to run but almost as quickly fell over flat on his face.

"Uh, Tyler, your legs are chained to mine." Cody reminded him. "That means we both have to move."

"Yep... I'm gonna remember that..." Tyler muttered as he stood up.

"Okay team, follow me." Shawn told his team. "And I guess Lightning too."

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered. "Let's do this thing!"

"Okay, I just need to get the hang of walking while attached to someone else." Sky remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I wonder if Duncan ever tried something like this when he was in prison." Gwen commented.

* * *

Meanwhile, over with the Actors, they were in a similar situation. They stood in an open field several yards away from a chain gang wearing prison uniforms. As with the others, they were chained together in groups. DJ was stuck with Topher, Sierra was chained to Anne Maria, Zoey and Max got chained together, and Scott was chained to Dave.

"Ah jeez, where are we?" Scott remarked.

"Doesn't matter, let's just focus on escaping." Topher told him.

"So where is the cabin exactly?" Zoey asked.

"Hmm... I'm not sure." Topher admitted. "Wait, wait, I got it."

"Really? How?" DJ asked.

"Not sure, I thought of it and I somehow figured it out." Topher explained. "I dunno, most be something Chris added in to make it easier for us. That guy, he's a real hero."

"Please focus." Dave reminded him.

"Right, anyway, let's get going before we get seen escaping." Topher said.

Topher took a few steps forward but ended up tripping over.

"Oh, sorry." DJ apologized as he helped Topher up. "We kinda have to walk together."

"I can see that." Topher remarked as he dusted himself off. "Uh, all right team. Let's very carefully make our way to safety."

The teammates began slowly and ungracefully moving forwards. After barely even moving three feet, Anne Maria fell over, taking Sierra with her.

"We're okay." Sierra said as she slowly got up. "Just need to get used to this."

"Speak for yourself." Anne Maria remarked as she rose as well. "Think I got dirt in my hair."

"It's not real dirt and it's not your real hair." Scott reminded her.

"Look, buddy, it's still annoying." Anne Maria told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I must say, real clever chaining us together on Chris' part." Topher commented. "He has just as much wit as I do."

* * *

Back over with the Directors, the team had managed to escape into the forest while being led by Shawn. The pairs moved slowly and awkwardly, still not entirely acclimated to being shackled together. As they walked through the woods, Cameron tripped over but ended up being too light to topple Gwen over with him.

"You okay, Cam?" Gwen asked him as she helped Cameron to his feet.

"Yes, yes, I should be fine." Cameron told her. "Thank you."

"Uh, so Shawn, what's the whole plan here?" Cody asked their leader. "Not to be rude or anything, but so far it kinda feels like we've just been aimlessly wandering through the forest."

"Don't worry, I figure we get to the road the hitchhike from there." Shawn explained.

"Uh, not to be a downer, but who would pick up a group of people who obviously have escaped from prison." Sky pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that." Shawn looked down at his chains. "Well let's just find the main road first. And maybe a blackmsith or something to get us out of these chains."

"Hey dude, I think we might actually reachin' the main road like you said." Lightning commented.

Shawn looked ahead and saw that the trees started to disappear and lead over to a dirt road.

"Okay, so I guess we're following this now." Tyler said.

"Yep, sure are." Shawn told her.

"Ugh, do you even know what you're doing?" Amy asked.

"Don't worry, you gotta trust me on this." Shawn said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Why is everyone I know so stupid?" Amy asked herself.

* * *

The Directors emerged from the woods and began walking on the edge of the road.

"I still think we should stick to the woods." Sky remarked. "Seems safer."

"Yeah, but this way we have a better sense of where we're going." Shawn insisted. "Listen, I know I messed up in the last challenge but this time I have a feeling that things are gonna work out just fine."

"Uh, think I see a car coming towards us." Cameron informed his teammates.

He pointed ahead of him towards a 1930's style pickup truck speeding towards them. Upon closer inspection, several dollar bills seemed to be flying off the back of the car.

"Quick! Everyone hide in the bushes!" Shawn warned his team. "We don't wanna be spotted."

The team ducked into some bushes on the roadside.

"Ugh, why's it so cramped in here?" Amy complained.

"Is complaining your only quality?" Sky jokingly wondered.

"Oh shut up you... Flat chested midget." Amy replied.

"Ladies, please be quiet." Cody told them.

The pickup truck parked on the side of the road near the bushes.

"Oh crap, they know we're here." Gwen worried.

"Maybe this just happens to be their destination." Cameron hopefully speculated.

The doors opened and a chubby man in a plaid purple suit and matching necktie stuck his head out of the car.

"Hey! You fellas in the bushes!" The stout man called out to them. "Need a lift?"

"Uh, there's nobody in the bushes, man." Lightning lied.

"Can ya just step out? I'm trying to help." The man told the team.

The team got out from the bushes together.

"Uh, I know it just looks like we're escaped prisoners. But we're actually..." Sky attempted to come up with a believable lie. "... Escaped prisoners..."

"Really?" Gwen asked Sky, sounding annoyed.

"It's really hard to come up with excuses." Sky admitted.

"Ah, I don't care that you folks are crooks." The man replied. "Me and my partner just robbed a bank."

A taller gaunt man peered out from the back of the pickup truck.

"Several banks actually." The second man added. "It's a spree."

"That's Georgie." The first man identified his friend. "Anyway, you fellas are welcome to hop aboard. We could use some partners."

"What do you think Shawn?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, we're all for it." Shawn told the two bank robbers.

"Great, two of ya get the front with Nelson and the rest of ya can ride with me in the back." Georgie instructed them.

The faint sound of approaching police sirens became audible to the Directors and robbers.

"You'd best hurry." Nelson remarked.

"I call shotgun!" Amy declared, grabbing Sky by the wrist and running towards the car with her.

"You don't have to pull, I'm coming." Sky remarked to the girl she was shackled to.

Amy and Sky squeezed into the front of the car next to Nelson while the rest of the team got into the back end of the pickup truck with Georgie.

"All right, you guys ready to go?" Georgie asked.

"Uh, I guess so." Cameron replied.

"Let's move it, Nelson!" Georgie yelled to his partner in crime.

As the sound of police sirens got closer, Nelson hit the gas on the car and sped off with the team.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Of all the things that could've happened in the challenge, hitching a ride with bank robbers wasn't one of the things I expected." Gwen commented.

* * *

Back over with the Actors, the team was walking through a wide open field.

"I don't really like it out here." Anne Maria remarked. "Don'cha think we should get to some cover?"

"Yeah, somewhere where our black and white uniforms are less visible." Zoey added.

"Okay, you girls have a good point." Topher admitted. "But I think I see a road coming up."

"How is that a good thing you daft fool!" Max yelled. "We'd be more exposed that way!"

"As much as I hate the little munchkin, he is right." Scott agreed. "I don't think people will take too kindly to people who _obviously just escaped from prison_."

"Don't worry, there haven't been many cars so far." Topher said. "And even if there are, we can overpower the driver."

"I dunno Topher, this still seems like a bad idea." Dave remarked.

"Well, I trust you." Sierra said.

"Thank you." Topher replied. "See guys, you just need to have blind faith in me."

Despite their protests, the rest of the team followed Topher over to the side of the road. Only when they got closer they saw that it wasn't a road at all and in fact some traintracks.

"Wait a minute, this isn't a road." DJ remarked.

"Well, at least we're less likely to get spotted now." Dave remarked.

"Okay, new plan. We wait for a train to pass by and then we hop into the box car." Topher suggested. "How's that?"

"Sure, that works." Sierra remarked.

"Uh, just how long until a train gets here?" Zoey asked.

"Could take ages." Scott remarked.

Anne Maria looked down the track and saw a speck in the distance that was slowly approaching.

"Or it could be here right now." Anne Maria said.

"What are you talking..." Scott began before noticing the oncoming train. "Oh, that."

"Well, all aboard I guess." Zoey remarked.

"Uh, are we all going to be able to make it on board?" DJ asked. "I'm a little worried about that."

"Bah! If anyone fails to make it aboard, it's natural selection at work." Max stated.

"Do you even know what Natural selection is?" Zoey asked.

"Silence, fool!" Max declared.

"Uh, maybe if you did less yelling you'd be able to focus on getting on the train a bit more." Scott pointed out.

"Hmmph, nobody tells Maxamillian Alouwishus Vanderbilt what to do." Max declared.

"But you should probably listen to Scott." Zoey said. "Wow, can't believe I just said that."

"Very well, sidekick. If you insist." Max replied.

"I'm not your sidekick." Zoey told him.

"Guys, quiet. The train's almost here." DJ said.

"Okay, so, I've never done this before, but I think the key here is to hold on tight." Topher told his teammates.

The train began passing the team and several boxcars are seen going by.

"Jump on now!" Scott ordered his team.

"Hey! I wanted to say that." Topher complained.

Scott leaped up into a passing boxcar and pulled Dave up after him. The rest of the team ran along the side of the train and one by one jumped into the boxcar until all of them were there.

"So, uh, now what?" DJ asked.

"Don't worry, we're going the right way." Topher insisted.

"Hmmph, sure we are." Max sarcastically doubted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Riding the rails was pretty fun." Sierra admitted. "Not too sure I'd do it in real life though."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were still riding with the two bank robbers while speeding down the dirt road away from a small group of cop cars. In the back, the groups of contestants who weren't Amy or Sky were sitting down and attempting to talk.

"You know, I feel like this might have been a mistake." Gwen commented.

"So, uh, how much money did you and our friend steal?" Cody asked their host, looking back at the sacks of dollar bills he was leaning on.

"I dunno, a lot. That's for sure." Georgie replied. "Say, any of you fellas know how to work a Tommy Gun?"

"Um, what? Are you serious, man?" Tyler asked.

"Sure am. I got two Tommy Guns back here and well, looks like we might have to be shootin' at these coppers soon." Geoergie remarked.

"No thanks. We'll find some other way to help." Shawn declined.

"Suit yourselves." Georgie said, laughing a little. "Hey, little feller, mind handing me one of the guns?"

"Oh, sure." Cameron nervously replied.

Cameron handed Georgie a Tommy Gun that was just casually lying against one of the money bags behind him. Georgie looked at the approaching cop cars and then back at the team.

"Hey, you fellas might wanna cover your ears for a little bit." Georgie instructed them.

Meanwhile, in the front of the car, Sky sat in the passenger seat with Amy uncomfortably sandwiched between her teammate and the driver. The two teenagers heard the sound of gunfire coming from the back of the pickup truck.

"Uh, what's the sound?" Sky asked.

"Ah, dammit. The fuzz musta caught up with us." Nelson remarked. "Blondie, you take over drivin' while I do some shooting."

"Uh, I don't think I can reach the gas with my feet chained up." Amy told her.

"I got some bolt cutters, don't worry about it." Nelson replied. "Now c'mon Cookie, we got work to do."

"Okay, I see the cutters." Sky realized.

She reached down to the area beneath the glove compartment and pulled out a pair of bolt cutters. Sky clipped the chains on her own feet, then the bindings tethering her to Amy, and finally the chains keeping Amy's legs tied up.

"Okay girl, now you can do some driving." Nelson told the recently freed Amy. "Good luck."

Nelson grabbed a Tommy Gun that was between him and Amy. He opened the car door and boosted himself so he was standing on the edge of the car and facing the direction the cop cars were coming at him

"Whoa! Are you crazy?!" Amy yelled.

"Just a little!" Nelson yelled back as he shot at his pursuers. "Just drive for me, will ya!"

Amy moved over to the dirvers seat of the car.

"Oh god, what have I gotten myself into.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"In hindsight, partnering up with bank robbers, probably wasn't that good an idea." Sky admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the train, the Actors were leaning against the walls of the boxcar.

"Wow, this is really boring." Dave remarked.

"Don't worrry, once we're close enough, we can jump." Topher told them.

"Hmmph, I still don't like this plan." Max complained.

"Will you shut up." Scott said.

There was a short silence that was abruptly cut off when a strange man climbed into the boxcar they were.

"Gah!" Anne Maria exclaimed in surprise.

The man was tall, overweight, wore a dusty white suit, and had an eyepatch over one eye. He carried a large suitcase in one hand.

"Calm down there, lil' lady." The stranger said. "Nothin' to be afraid of."

"Who the hell are you?" Scott asked.

"Yes, you flabby buffoon! You had better answer these questions or else!" Max stated, rising from the floor.

"Now, now, no need to get yerself all riled up." The stranger replied. "My name's Danny and I'm a travellin' salesman. Any of you fellas lookin' to make a purchase?"

"Uh, I think we'll all say no." Zoey told him.

"Suit yourselves, but yet missin' a good business opporitiunity." Danny remarked. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be on the run would you."

Danny looked down at the teammates' chains.

"Uh, yes, but we were falsely accused." Sierra claimed. "Or framed. Or something like that."

"Really now? All of you?" Danny doubtfully asked.

"Um, yes." Anne Maria said.

"But y'all prob'ly have a substancial bounty on yer heads." Danny continued talking.

"Well, uh, that's alo probably right." DJ admitted.

"And y'all would also be at a disadvantage in a fight since yer all chained up." Danny said.

"Oh, crap..." Dave trailed off in realization of what was about to happen.

Danny hit Scott across the face with his breifcase causing him to fall to his side.

"Dammit! What's in there, rocks?" Scott asked in annoyance.

"Okay everyone now seems to be a good time to jump off the train." Topher advised the train.

"Never! I shall stand and fight!" Max declared.

"Uh, I wanna run." Zoey told the boy she was chained to.

"Well then, you'll just have to fight with me." Max said.

"Good like with that, I think the rest of us are jumping." Anne Maria told him.

The pairs of teammates began jumping out the open doors of the boxcar. Danny managed to hit Sierra over the head with his suitcase as she jumped. Max remained in the boxcar with Zoey struggling to move towards the door.

"Just us then, huh?" Danny remarked. "Well, I'll still get a big bounty on you folks."

Danny swung his briefcase at Max who backed up. Zoey noticed that she had enough room to jump of the train. She took this opportunity and leaped from the train, dragging Max behind her.

"No!" Max exclaimed as he fell from the train.

The two of them rolled backward in the grass by the side of the train after hitting the ground. The duo slowly rose up from the ground. Zoey looked around and saw her team in the distance.

"C'mon, let's go catch up to them." Zoey said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"Why do none of my sidekicks want to listen to me?" Max wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, six of the Director's were still sitting in the back of a pickup truck with a crazed bank robber still firint at two cop cars. The two police vehicles seemed to have gotten further than before.

"Hey, bro! Do ya think you wanna lighten up on the shooting!" Lightning yelled over the gunfire.

"Not 'til these lousy maggots are gone for good." Georgie replied. "Hahaha!"

"Uh, not to be a bother but all of us have somewhere to be." Cameron told the robber.

"Yeah, you see there's this cabin we really need to get to." Tyler explained.

"Sure, we can take ya there." Georgie said. "We need to stash this cash somewhere. Right after we finish off these coppers!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like we should've thought a bit more before getting inside a car belonging to two bank robbers." Shawn admitted.

* * *

In the front of the car, Amy was still in the dirver's seat. The vehicle was speeding and constantly making erratic swerves.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Sky asked.

"No! My mom or my sister always drive me everywhere." Amy answered. "But in my defense, I don't think this guy knows how to drive either."

Amy looked over at Nelson who was still firing at the cop cars behind them.

"Haha! You bet I don't!" Nelson laughed.

"Uh, Nelson, was it? Are those police officers gone now?" Sky asked.

"Hmm... Don't really see 'em. Hang on, I'm gonna check something." Nelson replied as he leaned over towards the back of the car. "Hey Georgie, ya think we're safe!"

Sky and Amy weren't quite able to hear what the other robber responded with over the sound of the car. Nelson looked back down at the girls.

"Hey, so, Georgie said we lost the fuzz." Nelson told them. "He also said you fellas are trying to get a cabin. That true?"

"Uh, yeah, we kind of need to get there before some other people." Sky explained.

"Well, we need a place to hide out." Nelson commented. "All right, step aside Blondie and tell me where to go."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Who would have thought aligning with criminals in the virtual world would end up being helpful." Sky said.

* * *

Back with the Actors, the team walked through the woods right next to the train track.

"Man, life just isn't fair sometimes." DJ complained.

"Are you talking about that crazy cyclops who beat us up with a suitcase?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, that guy was a jerk." DJ said.

"There's an understatement if I ever heard one." Anne Maria agreed.

"Don't worry, we just gotta stay positive." Sierra tried to encourage her teammates. "That crazy salesman guy can't possibly catch up to us now."

"I dunno, this is a video game, and AI's are known for breaking the rules." Dave said.

"C'mon Dave, just let me try to cheer people up." Sierra told him.

"I'm just being realistic." Dave replied. "We're all chained together, we have to walk, and I'm not totally sure Topher knows where he's going."

"Hey, of course I do." Topher said. "We'll be there in like, four, five minutes tops."

"I'm just gonna take what you said and double it." Scott replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"You know, I think the main reason some people don't like me is that they're just jealous." Topher remarked. "Perfectly understandable of course. I mean, c'mon, look at this hair. Irresistable, right?"

* * *

"Hey, y'know, I think I might actually see that cabin we're trying to find." Zoey remarked.

"Don't try to mess with our heads, ex-sidekick." Max told her.

"First off, I was never your sidekick." Zoey said. "And second off, I actually see it. Look!"

Zoey pointed over at a run down shack off in the distance that was partially obscured by trees.

"Hey! That just might be it." Topher remarked. "C'mon gang, let's check it out."

The group began running but very quickly, Dave tripped over his own chains and dragged down Scott with him. Scott grabbed on to Zoey's leg which caused a chain reaction that ended with all the members of the Actors lying on the forest floor.

"Can we try that again?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, let's be a bit more careful." Anne Maria agreed. "We don't wanna look like idiots on TV."

The group slowly stood up from the dirty ground and looked back in the direction of the cabin.

"Okay, let's try this again but with less falling down." Cody jokingly said.

"Yeah, let's all try watching our feet." DJ suggested. "Y'know, so we're less likely to trip over."

"Okay! Let's go!" Sierra fcheered.

The group began running at a slower pace than before. After just a few feet Sierra tripped over.

"Seriously? What did we just talk about?" Dave remarked.

"I'll catch up, don't worry." Sierra said as her teammates ran ahead of him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"You know, I'm just so blown away by how realistic this virtual world sometimes." Sierra commented. "It actually makes it kinda hard to focus on the challenge sometimes."

* * *

The scene switched over to the six members of the Directors that were in the back of the pickup truck belonging to the two robbers. The truck was driving through the forest down a country back road.

"Sure hope we're going the right way." Tyler remarked.

"I think we're probably accurate." Cameron said.

"How do you folks not know where your own cabin is?" Georgie asked.

"I don't really wanna explain it." Gwen told him.

"Huh, fair enough." Georgie remarked. "Guess you fellas work in mysterious ways."

"Sure, something like that." Shawn said.

"Nah, we just don't know for sure." Lightning told Georgie.

In the front of the car, Nelson was back to driving with Amy and Sky next to him.

"So we're goin' the right way, right gals?" Nelson asked.

"Absolutely." Amy said.

"Uh, pretty sure." Sky replied.

"Are ya pretty sure or absolutely sure?" Nelson asked. "'Cause those are pretty different things right there."

"We're absolutely sure." Amy told him.

"Not entirley." Sky added.

"Oh my god! Stop contradicting me." Amy angrily told Sky.

"Well, we don't actually know where it is." Sky argued. "We just have a very strong feeling."

"Can you ladies stop your bickerin'?" Nelson asked. "It's throwin' off my concentration."

"We'll stop arguing once Sky shuts up." Amy replied.

"Fine, if it gets you to stop arguing with me, I'll shut up." Sky said.

"Great." Amy remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Of all the people I could have been chained to in this challenge, why her?" Sky wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Actors had gotten closer to the cabin.

"All right, almost there!" Sierra cheered.

"And we've stopped trippin' over so much." Anne Maria added.

"Yeah, I feel like it's gonna be smooth sailing from here." Topher remarked.

"Man, don't jinx it like that." DJ said.

"Oh, I'm not jinxing it." Topher denied.

"No, you definitely did." Scott told him.

"Oh yes, you most certainly did!" Max agreed in an angry tone. "Curse you Topher, curse you!"

"Max, calm down." Zoey said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

The group walked in silence for a few moments. After a while, they got close enough to the cabin they had been approaching to make out the fine details. It was a pretty old, run down looking place.

"Ha, can't believe we made it here before the other team." Dave remarked.

"Hey, do any of you guys hear a car?" Sierra asked.

"What are you talking about?" DJ replied.

"No, I hear it too. It sounds like it's getting closer." Zoey said.

"Oh god... I got a really bad feeling about this..." Anne Maria remarked.

Topher looked at a path leading to the front of the house and saw the pickup truck that carried the Directors speeding towards them.

"Uh... Guys..." Topher nervously trailed off as he tapped on DJ's shoulder. "You might wanna look at that."

The rest of the team turned to see the car coming towards them.

"Is it coming at _us_?" Sierra asked.

"I think so..." Scott slowly realized.

"Everyone, out of the way!" Zoey said.

The pairs of Actors split off to the left and the right to avoid the path of the oncoming vehicle.. The bank robber's car sped over to the area that the Actors were just standing in and came to a halt.

"All right! We sha-made it!" Lightning cheered from the back of the car.

Nelson, Amy, and Sky got out of the front of the car while Georgie and the rest of the Directors hopped down from the back of the truck.

"Ah dammit, how did they beat us here?" Gwen wondered.

"Yeah, we a car." Tyler said.

"Yeah, well, we had a train." Dave replied. "Y'know, partially."

"What?" Cody asked.

"Long story." Dave told him.

"So, uh, since we're all here, what happens now?" Cameron asked. "It seems that this is a slight stalemate."

"I say we race into the house and whoever makes it in first is the winner." Scott stated.

"Sorry, is this some kinda competition?" Georgie asked.

"Uh, in a way, yes." Shawn explained.

"We could just shoot 'em." Nelson suggested to the team he had driven with.

"Ah! Please don't do that!" DJ panicked.

"It would make things easier." Amy admitted.

"No Amy, that's just wrong." Shawn told her.

"Oh, it's not like they're really gonna die." Amy argued.

"Of course they're gonna die." Georgie said. "What're you talking about."

"Don't ask." Shawn replied.

While the Directors had their back-and-forth with the two gangsters, the Actors had slowly started to move towards the cabin as inconspicuously as they possibly could. Lightning was the first to notice the other team attempting to escape.

"Yo! They're 'bout to win!" Lightning exclaimed. "Stop 'em!"

"Oh dammit. Everyone run!" Scott ordered his team.

"C'mon man, let me say stuff like that." Topher said.

"Just run!" Dave repeated Scott's words to Topher specifically.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"It's not like I hate Topher or anything." Dave began. "But I think our team could do better than him."

* * *

Both teams rushed towards the doors of the house while Nelson and Georgie stood around in confusion.

"Should we do somethin'?" Georgie asked.

"Nah, I wanna see how this all plays out." Nelson declared.

The door to the cabin was forced open and all the contestants tried to squeeze through the threshold at the same time. Sierra and Anne Maria were the first to make it through.

"Woo! Made it!" Sierra cheered.

"Uh, we still gotta get the rest of the team in here." Anne Maria pointed out.

"Oh, right." Sierra realized. "Well, at least none of them are in yet."

Just then, Lightning and Shawn got through the door.

"Okay, never mind." Sierra said.

"Sha-boom! Lightning and zombie boy made it!" Lightning cheered.

"Can you not remember my name?" Shawn asked

"Nope, not at the moment." Lightning admitted.

"Should we do something about this?"Sierra asked.

"Definitely." Anne Maria confirmed. "Although I ain't too sure what."

Topher and DJ got through the fighting going on and made it into the cabin.

"Hey, you two, should we try to kick these two out somehow?" Anne Maria asked.

"What?" Topher asked, sounding out of breath.

"It's a simple question." Anne Maria said.

"Please don't listen to them." Shawn told them.

"I have no idea what's goin' on." DJ remarked, sounding as tired as the guy he was chained to.

Sky and Amy quickly followed by Max and Zoey entered the cabin.

"Haha! I have won!" Max cheered.

"No, no we haven't." Zoey told him. "We still need Scott and Dave."

"Quick! Shut the door." Amy ordered her teammates.

"Wait, hold on. Then we'll lock our team out." Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, but we'll lock their team out too." Amy argued. "Our team wil just have to find another way in."

"I'm not so sure." Sky said.

"Too bad, I'm doing it anyway." Amy told her.

Amy slammed the door and held it shut.

"Should we stop her?" Shawn asked.

"No, Sky was right. Her team can't get in either." Anne Maria pointed out.

The scene switched back over to the outside of the cabin. The remaining contestants that are outside have realized what had happened.

"Seriously, Amy! Let us in!" Gwen told her in an irritated tone as she pounded on the door with her fists.

"Think we're gonna have to find another way in, dude." Tyler stated.

"Ha! Well, what she didn't think of is that there are four of you, and two of us." Scott remarked. "So have fun at the elimination ceremony."

Scott looked over at the guy he was chained to.

"C'mon Dave, let's go!" Scott ordered him.

Dave and Scott rushed off to the left side of the house.

"Uh, let's go break some windows and get in." Cody told the other members of his team.

Cody, Tyler, Cameron, and Gwen began running towards the right side of the house. The camera followed the four Directors over to the side of the house.

"Okay, we just gotta break through this window and hop through." Tyler said.

"That sounds like it could hurt." Cameron remarked.

"You can't feel pain in this world, remember?" Gwen told him.

"No time for talking, let's just get to breaking." Cody said.

Tyler notices a brick on the ground.

"Hey, that sure helps." Tyler remarked as he picked up the brick. "Here goes nothing!"

Tyler hurled the brick at the window. It smashed through the window causing screams to come from inside the cabin.

"C'mon, let's go." Tyler told his teammates.

Tyler vaulted himself up through the window which unintentionally dragged Cody behind him. The sound of two loud thumps was heard once Cody and Tyler were through the window.

"Woo! Made it!" Tyler cheered from the inside.

"Uh, I'm not sure I'm tall enough to make it through the window." Cameron told Gwen. "Could you lift me."

"Um... I'll try." Gwen replied. "It's gonna be hard with these chains."

The scene switched over to the other side of the house. Both Scott and Dave had been throwing small rocks at the window on their side to try and break it open.

"Ugh, this is hopeless." Scott complained. "Dave, go find me a bigger rock."

"Uh, we're chained together. We have to both go find a bigger rock." Dave reminded him.

"Damn, you're right." Scott said. "All right, let's hurry."

Scott spotted a large rock resting by the root of a nearby tree.

"Quick! Over there!" Scott pointed to the rock.

They scrambled over to the tree and Dave picked up the rock.

"Okay, now back to the house." Scott told him.

They rushed back over to the cabin where Dave chucked the rock at the window as soon as they got there. The window shattered causing more screams from the inside.

"All right, let's go." Dave said.

Scott hoisted himself up through the window but was unable to touch the ground. The chain connecting him and Dave got caught on a piece of broken wood from the window leaing him hanging upside down on the inside and Dave hanging on the outside.

"Ah crap..." Scott trailed off.

As he hanged upside down, he saw Cameron and Gwen make it through the window on the other side of the cabin.

"Yes! We made it!" Cameron cheered. "Thanks for giving me a boost."

"No problem." Gwen replied. "It's actually harder than you'd think."

"Ha, told you my plan would work." Amy bragged.

"Barely." Gwen told her.

"Nice going, you buffoon." Max remarked as he approached Scott.

"Oh, shut up." Scott said.

All the contestants suddenly disappeared after a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Why is it that ever challenge descends into chaos no matter who we do?" Sky wondered.

* * *

Back in the real world, the visors on the helmets flipped up, bringing the contestants out of the simulation.

"And welcome back to the real world, folks!" Chris cheered.

"So, uh, just to be clear, did we lose?" Sierra asked.

"Yep, sure did." Chris answered.

"Ah, dammit." Anne Maria said.

"Actors lost for the second time in a row and the Directors won yet again." Chris explained. "But don't feel too bad, at least you get another moderately delicious meal from our very own Chef Hatchet."

"Yay." Scott sarcastically said.

"Please have fun deciding who you'd like to eliminate." Chris told them.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Max)**

"My team has far too many weak links to count." Max claimed. "So it's going to be very difficult to make a decision."

* * *

Much later, the two teams had congregated in the mess hall at separate tables. The camera focused on the Directors eating what looked like some kind of fried meat.

"Okay, is this thing just ninety percent gristle for y'all too?" Lightning asked between bites of food.

"Yep, it's very... Chewy." Cody agreed.

"Phew, Lightning was worried he was goin' nuts." Lightning remarked. "Stil means his lunch sucks though."

"So, do you guys think we can keep up this winning streak?" Sky asked.

"Of course we can." Amy replied. "Thanks to my flawless leadership skills."

"You just got lucky with your plan." Gwen told her.

"You're just jealous." Amy said.

"You'd better watch what you say." Cody remarked.

"Are you trying to threaten me, little guy?" Amy asked.

"Well, uh, no." Cody replied. "I'm just saying, if you keep up that attitude it makes you a target for elimination."

"Fine, I'll shut up for now." Amy said. "I can tell when I'm not wanted."

"Let's all just be thankful that we won again." Cameron suggested.

"Agreed." Shawn replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I feel like our team isn't the most functional." Cody admitted. "But it isn't dysfunctional either. I'm not sure what to call it."

* * *

The camera moved on over to the Actors attempting to enjoy their meal.

"Ugh, why does this thing taste like rubber?" Topher complained.

"Because it's Chef and he hates us." Dave answered.

"How do you know what rubber tastes like?" DJ asked.

"It was hyperbole." Topher said.

"How is it that I'm surrounded by so many idiots?" Max wondered.

"Max, calm down." Zoey told him.

"I will not calm down." Max said. "We lost for a second time in a row and that is absolutely unnaceptable for someone such as I."

"And who is I? I mean, you. Who is you? I mean-" Dave fumbled with his words. "Oh, you know what I meant."

"I will tell you who I am." Max replied. "I am the most ambitiously evil human being to ever live. Men quake in their boots when they hear my name. Mwahahaha!"

"Your parents really need to spend more time with you." Scott commented.

"Bah, parental figures are for the weak. Even if mine gives me an allowance and lets me build doomsday machines in the garage." Max said.

"Seriously, will you shut up?" Dave asked.

"You're one to talk It's because of you and this freckled farmer that we lost." Max claimed, looking at Dave and Scott.

"Hey, if you want to use a scapegoat, pick Topher." Dave argued. "He should have taken more intiative."

"Seriously, Dave?" Topher asked.

"Why do all of our meals just turn into a contest of who can blame who?" Anne Maria asked. "It's real freakin' annoying."

"Yeah, let's just have a nice, peaceful lunch." Zoey agreed. "Pretty please?"

"Mwahaha! There is never peace when the evil genius Max is around!" Max declared.

"You need some help." DJ told him.

"Are you volunteering to be my sidekick?" Max asked.

"Um, no." DJ replied.

"Then I don't need you!" Max declared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"Maybe I shoulda just not come back for another season." DJ admitted.

* * *

A while later, the Actors had gathered in front of a stage for another elimination ceremony with Chris already up on stage.

"So, back for more, eh?" Chris remarked, chuckling a little.

"C'mon man, just get on with it." Scott told him.

"Just having a little fun." Chris said. "Anyway, you crazy kids go off and vote."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Anne Maria)**

Anne Maria drew an X over a photograph of Dave.

"You just ain't that strong a player, buddy." Anne Maria admitted. "I just feel like we might have a better chance at winning if we don't have you on the team."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Max)**

Max crossed out a photo of Topher and showed it to the camera.

"As long as he's in charge, our team will continue to fail." Max stated. "Plus, with less Topher. There's more Max."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher held up a drawn over picture of Dave.

"Yeah, Max is annoying and all... But you just seem kinda weak, Dave." Topher admitted. "No offence."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave angrily scribbled over a photo of Max.

"You are so annoying. Seriously, go away." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ held up a crossed out picture of Scott.

"Max is annoying, but you just ain't trustworthy." DJ explained. "That sorta beats out being annoying in my opinion."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photograph of Max.

"Topher may be in the way of me being in charge, but you're just annoying." Scott said. "Which means it's the end of the line for you."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra held up a scribbled over photo of Topher.

"I respect you for being a superfan like me." Sierra began. "But... I feel like we could do with a change in leadership."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Zoey)**

"Tough decision right here." Zoey admitted. "It's either Max because he's annoying, Scott because I don't trust him, Topher because we could use a different leader, or Dave because I don't know him that well... I can't really decide."

* * *

The scene switched back to the contestants in front of the stage. Chris now carried a plate with several golden statues of himself on it.

"All right, now it's time for my favourite part of the day." Chris remarked. "The elimination ceremony. All right, I'm going to call your name and you're gonna get a state. Ready? Zoey, Sierra, DJ, and Anne Maria. You're all good."

Chris threw the four of them their idols.

"Okay guys, I'm going to hand out two more now." Chris explained. "Ready? Okay, the next two go to..."

...

...

...

...

"Dave and Scott!"

Chris threw the next two gold statues to them leaving only one left.

"Huh, wasn't expecting that." Scott admitted.

"Yeah, same here." Dave agreed.

"Topher, Max, right here I only have one Gilded Chris Award left." Chris explained. "And only one of you can have it. So it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Topher!"

Chris tossed the last award over to Topher.

"Yes! Topher's here to stay!" Topher cheered.

"No! This is most unacceptable!" Max yelled. "If you want me to leave this show I'll have to be dragged off!"

"Okay." Chris nonchalantly replied. "Chef, get him."

"Wait, what?" Max asked.

Chef walked over to the seats and grabbed Max.

"I'll make you pay for this!" Max yelled. "You hear me, pay!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Chef remarked as he walked down the red carpet. "Whatever ya say pal."

Chef opened the door to the limousine with one hand and used the other to throw Max into the car.

"See ya later." Chef told him.

Max stuck his head out the window.

"This isn't over!" Max yelled. "When I'm on top of the world you'll be the first to fall! Ahahaha!"

The limousine began to drive away.

"That kid needs help." Chef remarked.

The scene switched back over to Chris on stage.

"Well, that one less weirdo to worry about." Chris commented. "But we still have a whole bunch more. Which one will leave next? The only way to find out is to stick around for some more, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Scott, Sierra, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Cody, Sky, Tyler, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

 **Votes:**

DJ: Scott

Max: Topher

Scott: Max

Sierra: Topher

Topher: Dave

Dave: Max

Anne Maria: Dave

Zoey: Max

 **Results:**

Max: 3 Votes

Topher: 2 Votes

Dave: 2 Votes

Scott: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that was the chapter. I actually saw the movie the challenge was based on pretty recently and it was pretty good. Definitely recommend it. The reason I eliminated Max is because I didn't really know what to do with him. I think he's a funny character, but he's kind of got limited writing options. By the way, there should be another chapter of my other story Strange People later this week. Anyway, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading.**


	4. It's Very Hard To Die

**Welcome back to this story. This chapter ended up being longer than I anticipated so I hope that isn't a problem for you all. By the way, there should be a chapter of my other story later this week. So I hope you guys read that too. Anyway, this is a pretty short intro. I don't have much else to say. So I'm gonna respond to all your reviews now:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thanks.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** I still have yet to watch Tomorrowland but I just wanted to say thanks for all that clever wordplay of yours.

 **That British Guy:** Max is one of those characters who is pretty annoying but I actually find him pretty funny.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing.

 **And that's about it for the intro.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our contestants went on the lam in a challenge of avoiding the law. It was a close call, but in the end, getting snagged on a broken window cost the challenge for the Actors. And in the end, they decided that Max was just too annoying for them to keep around. He didn't seem too happy as he was literally dragged away kicking and screaming. But enough about what happened, here we're going to talk about what _will_ happen. And the only way to find out is to watch someone, Total. Drama Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On an early morning, the cameras focused on the trailers the contestants were staying in. The scene switched to the inside of the girl's trailer. Nobody had awoken yet and the camera lingered on the sleeping contestants. The first to stir from their sleep was Anne Maria.

"Ah jeez… Am I awake…" Anne Maria wondered to herself. "Huh, guess so. Oh well, so much for that dream I was havin'."

Anne Maria crawled out of bed and stood up.

"Okay, where's the spray?" Anne Maria remarked.

She reached under her bed and pulled out a can of hairspray.

"Ah, startin' off the day right." Anne Maria said.

Anne Maria began applying hairspray. Some of the hairspray floated up and Zoey breathed some of it in. This caused her wake up and start coughing.

"Ugh, what was that?" Zoey asked between coughs.

"Oh hey, Red. You're up." Anne Maria noticed.

The talking caused most of the other girls to wake up as well.

"What's going on over here?" Sky asked.

"I accidentally breathed in Anne Maria's hairspray." Zoey explained. "It tastes kinda like bubble gum."

"Huh? Who has bubble gum" Gwen asked.

"Nobody does." Anne Maria said.

"Wait, someone has gum?" Amy remarked.

"Oh my god, I just said there isn't any." Anne Maria repeated herself. "So just let me do my hair in peace."

"Can you do it in a more open space where we don't have to breathe it in?" Zoey asked.

"All right, all right, I'll take the hint." Anne Maria said. "I'll go do it outside."

"Thank god for that." Amy remarked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want more shuteye."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I don't really know what I'm doin'." Anne Maria admitted. "I kinda just came here 'cause they asked me to and bam, here I am. I'm hopin' I can win. But I don't got no real strategy."

* * *

Meanwhile, over the boys' cabin, nobody was awake yet. However, Tyler was restlessly tossing and turning in bed.

"C'mon... I'm gonna win the Olympics..." Tyler mumbled in his sleep.

Tyler rolled over in his sleep and fell out of his bed.

"Gah! Not the jaw again!" Tyler yelled upon impact.

His screams caused the rest of the boys to wake up.

"Y'know, for once I'd just like some peace and quiet. Is that too much to ask." Dave remarked.

"Seriously man, how did you manage to do this twice?" Scott wondered as he looked down at Tyler.

"I'm a lucid dreamer." Tyler answered as he stood up.

"Don't think that's what that means." Cody replied.

"Pretty sure it is dude." Tyler replied.

"Sha-yeah, it is!" Lightning agreed.

"Let's ask Cam, he's smart." Cody said.

"It's too early for this..." Cameron mumbled, half asleep.

"Fair enough." Cody said.

"Is your jaw gonna be okay, Tyler?" Shawn asked.

"Uh, yeah, probably." Tyler replied. "I've been through worse."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"I've gone through a lot of injuries both on and off the show." Tyler stated. "I actually hurt my head like, seven times on the bus ride to this film lot."

* * *

Later, all the contestants were relaxing out in front of the two trailers in various different spots. The camera focused on Zoey sitting under a tree and trying to read a book.

"Hey there, teammate!" A female voice from behind Zoey cheered.

"Ack!" Zoey exclaimed.

Zoey looked behind her and saw Sierra.

"Don't startle me like that." Zoey said.

"Sorry, thought you noticed me." Sierra remarked.

"Did you want to talk about something?" Zoey asked.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Sierra replied. "So, I was thinking, is there any way to swap teams? Or, alternatively, get Cody to swap teams. Because I just wanna spend time with him."

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask here." Zoey replied.

"What are you talking about? Of course you are." Sierra told her. "You've got, like, the best boyfriend ever. Teach me your secrets."

Sierra playfully pinched Zoey's left cheek. Zoey moved Sierra's hand away from her face.

"Okay, that was kinda weird." Zoey remarked. "But, uh, there isn't really a secret. Unless you consider, you know, being nice and respectful a secret."

"No, I already do that." Sierra said. "What am I missing?"

"Maybe you just need to let Cody stand back and breathe." Zoey suggested.

"I'm already doing that and it isn't working." Sierra replied. "Hmm... Maybe if I-"

Sierra was cut off when a golf cart driven by Chris rolled up in front of the trailers.

"Guess what!" Chris cheered.

"PA system's still out?" Gwen guessed.

"Uh, yes, that too. But I was about to say it's challenge time!" Chris announced. "Hooray for that, right?"

"Eh, it's all right." Amy said.

"Look, just get down to the warehouse so we can get this over with, okay?" Chris replied. "Thank you."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"Sometimes, I feel like Chris hates working here." Cody remarked. "But then I remember how much he loves seeing us in pain."

* * *

The scene changed to the teams arriving at the virtual reality warehouse where Chris and Chef were already waiting for them.

"How'd you get here before us?" Shawn asked Chris.

"I have a fast golf cart, man." Chris replied.

"Really? I've never heard of a fast golf cart." Topher remarked. "What model are you using?"

"You know what, could you just shut up?" Chris requested.

"Got it, shutting up right now." Topher said.

"Thank you." Chris replied.

"Yo, Chris, man. Don'cha have the challenge to tell us about?" Lightning asked.

"Thanks for the reminder." Chris remarked.

"Ooh, I wonder what movie this one will be." Sierra said.

"Well, I'm about to tell you, aren't I?" Chris replied. "This challenge is based on classic 80's action flick: Die Hard."

"Sweet! That is an awesome movie." Tyler remarked.

"Basically, how the challenge will work is that one team is Hans Gruber and the other team is John McClane." Chris explained.

"Uh, I've never seen this movie. What does that mean?" Cameron asked.

"Okay, one team plays a group of thieves attempting to rob an office building." Chris explained again. "And the other group is trying to stop that. Basically, you either win if you can open the safe full of money or wipe out the guys trying to get into the safe."

"I-I'm sorry, did you say wipe out? As in kill?" Dave asked.

"Oh relax, you won't really die. And you can't even feel any pain in the simulation." Chris told him.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Dave, but that whole thing sounds kinda wrong." Sky remarked.

"Thank you, Sky. Looks like you have some sense for once." Dave said.

"Dave, could you just shut up?" Sky asked.

"Okay, both of you, stop." Chris told them. "I have the challenge to introduce."

"Fine, carry on." Sky said.

"Okay, since the Directors were the winning team last time, they get to choose whether they want to be the thieves or the guys trying to stop the thieves." Chris explained. "Let me know when you've come to final decision."

The members of the directors huddled up in a corner together.

"Okay, I say we be the thieves." Lightning suggested.

"Yeah, breaking into a safe can't be that hard." Amy agreed. "I've broken the lock to my sister's room several times."

"Maybe we should ask Shawn. Since he is kind of the leader." Cody remarked.

"Thanks." Shawn replied. "Personally, I think we should go against the robbers."

"Aw man, but Lightning's idea sounds fun." Lightning remarked.

"But I feel like my zombie survival skills might come in handy in this situation." Shawn argued.

"I say we go for it." Sky agreed.

"Yeah, same here." Gwen said. "I have no idea how to break open a safe."

"I'm still not sure." Amy admitted.

They group was interrupted by Chris waking over to them.

"Hey, so, made your final decision yet?" Chris asked.

"Yes, we'll be going up against the thieves." Shawn told him.

"Got it, I'll get Chef to program that into the machine." Chris explained. "Speaking of which, let's get this challenge started!"

There was a silence from the contestants.

"That means sit down in your science chairs." Chris said.

"Oh, okay." Cameron replied.

The contestants sat down at the chairs lining the room and put on their helmets.

"All right Chef, you know what to do." Chris told his co-host.

"Yep, sure do." Chef replied. "Man, this is a fun job."

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I just want everyone to know, just 'cause in this challenge I had to steal stuff, doesn't mean I'd do it in real life." DJ told the camera. "If I had it my way, I'd be on the hero team."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the Directors found themselves inside an area of a skyscraper that appeared to be under construction. They were all wearing their regular outfits but they appeared to be a bit more covered in dirt and grime than usual.

"Ugh, my outfit is ruined?" Amy remarked upon noticing the state of her clothes.

"Really? That's what you're concerned about?" Gwen asked. "Not what we're supposed to do from here?"

"Look, I just want a reason for why my dress is like this." Amy said.

"I think in the movie the main guy's outfit gets all ruined and stuff." Tyler tried to explain.

"Thank you for being so specific." Amy sarcastically remarked.

"Guys, hello, can we focus?" Shawn asked. "Kinda got some important stuff going on."

"Right, thanks Shawn." Sky said. "What should we do first."

"Well, we can't defeat the other team without knowing where they are." Shawn began. "So let's go find them. In a stealthy way, of course."

"Uh, Lightning ain't so good at the whole bein' sneaky thing." Lightning explained. "That gonna be a problem?"

"Sounds like it." Cody remarked.

"Actually, I'm not too sneaky either." Tyler added. "I always end up knocking stuff over."

"Okay, you two can stay back as our watchmen while the rest of us sneakily try to find them." Shawn explained.

"All right, makes sense to me." Tyler replied.

"Sha-yeah. This should be fun." Lightning remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I was a little worried when I put both of those two together back there." Shawn remarked. "It's not that I think Lightning and Tyler are incompetent... But Lightning and Tyler are pretty incompetent."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Actors were in another part of the building. It appeared to be much nicer than the area the other team was in but also very empty. All the members of the Actors were wearing business suits for some reason.

"Okay... Where the hell are we?" Anne Maria asked.

"I have no idea." Scott admitted.

Topher felt around in his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"Hang on, this might be a clue." Topher remarked.

He unfolded the paper and took a closer look at it.

"Well, would you look at that, I was right." Topher remarked.

"What's it say?" Zoey asked.

"Okay, so, it shows us where the safe is." Topher explained. "But the combination for the final door of the safe is on one of the guys on the other team."

"I don't remember that being in the movie." Scott remarked.

"Chris must have changed it." Topher guessed. "I don't know if this makes it easier or harder."

"So Topher, what's the plan?" DJ asked.

"Great question." Topher said.

There was a pause as the rest of the team waited for Topher to continue.

"Do you not have a plan?" Scott asked.

"Just give me a moment to think and I'll tell you." Topher told him. "Okay, half of us will go upstairs and try to get that safe combination from the other team. The rest of us start working on the other doors to the safe."

"Uh, there can't really be half us when there's just seven." Dave pointed out.

"I meant it figuratively." Topher said. "Four of you go find the other team, and the rest of us can try to crack the safe. How's that sound?"

"That actually sounds like a moderately good plan." Scott admitted.

"Okay, great." Topher remarked. "Then let's go split up."

"Uh, who groups up with who?" Zoey asked.

"I dunno, you figure it out yourselves." Topher stated. "Me personally, I'm going for the safe cracking team because that sounds a lot less dangerous."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I'm going to be honest, I'm not sure why I'm still the leader." Topher admitted. "Don't get me wrong, being on top is the best. But I would have figured they'd want to replace me by now. But hey, if they're okay with me in charge, I won't complain about it."

* * *

Back with the Directors, the group was walking down a flight of stairs.

"So, do we know where we're going?" Cameron asked.

"I think so." Shawn replied. "In the movie, the thief guys were downstairs. So, I figure we go there."

"Makes sense to Lightning." Lightning remarked.

"So, what's the strategy in case we run into the other team?" Tyler asked.

"Well, it's like I said, we're supposed to do this quietly." Shawn explained. "Except for you and Lightning who are supposed to guard."

"Uh, guys, do you hear footsteps?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, idiot. _We're_ walking." Amy said.

"No, I think I hear someone else." Sky remarked.

"Everybody be quiet." Shawn told his teammates.

The team stopped walking and heard a set of footsteps heading towards them.

"Crap. Okay, everybody hide." Shawn instructed.

"Where exactly?" Gwen asked.

Shawn looked around and saw a door behind the team.

"Over there." Shawn told them. "C'mon, let's hide from the other team."

"Aren't we supposed to fight them?" Lightning asked.

"We need a better strategy first." Shawn explained.

"I thought we already had one of those." Cody remarked.

"Well, we need a better one." Shawn said. "Now c'mon."

The Directors went up a few stairs and ducked through the door.

"Okay, how about when they go past us, we try to sneak attack them. How's that?" Sky suggested.

"Yeah, I think I like that plan actually." Shawn admitted. "Okay team, let's do that."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I'm worried my team sees me as a bad leader." Shawn said. "It's not that I don't know what I'm doing though. I'm just a little out of my element. My element is zombies and so far almost nothing here has had to do with zombies."

* * *

Meanwhile, three members of the Actors, Scott, Dave, and Anne Maria to be exact, were going up the same stairwell the Directors were just in.

"Do ya think they're up here?" Anne Maria asked.

"I dunno, the only way to find out is to look around." Scott said.

"I still don't get why I'm part of this group." Dave remarked.

"Because nobody else wanted to." Scott explained. "So I volunteered you."

"That's not how volunteering works." Dave said.

"It's how we do it on the farm." Scott told him.

"Both of ya, shut up." Anne Maria said. "Seriously, I need to concentrate."

The group made it to a landing and turned up another set of stairs.

"Someone could've sneak attacked us 'cause you two were bein' so loud." Anne Maria continued.

"What're the chances of that?" Dave asked.

Suddenly, Dave felt something kick at the back of his knee which caused him to topple over.

"Ah!" Dave exclaimed as he fell.

He slid down several steps and stopped at the landing. Dave looked up and saw the members of the Actors.

"Oh... Hey guys..." Dave nervously greeted. "You know, Anne Maria just said something about a sneak attack. Funny timing."

"Heh, that is kinda funny." Lightning admitted.

"Hey!" Scott exclaimed as he and Anne Maria turned around to face the other team. "Leave that guy alone!"

"Yeah, what he said." Anne Maria added.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Amy asked.

"Pretty sure we got guns." Anne Maria told her.

"Pfft, I don't see any guns." Amy said.

"Don't taunt them..." Cody whispered to her.

Scott and Anne Maria reached around in their pockets and pulled out one handgun each.

"Oh... Let's run, team." Shawn told his teammates.

"Good idea." Gwen agreed.

The Actors turned around and dashed through the door.

"After them!" Scott told his teammates.

"Okay... Let me just stand up..." Dave mumbled.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"Turns out, living out the plot of Die Hard is a lot less fun than watching Die Hard." Cody remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other members of the Directors, meaning Topher, Zoey, Sierra, and DJ, were inside an elevator going down.

"So... Does anyone here know how to break open a safe?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah, that doesn't seem like a very common skill." DJ agreed.

"I'm sure it's pretty self-explanatory." Topher told them.

"How exactly?" Zoey asked.

"I dunno. I'm sure Chris wouldn't make it overly hard." Topher said.

"I'm not so sure." Sierra replied. "This is _Chris_ we're talking about. You of all people should know this."

"That is true." Topher admitted.

"Guys, this is our floor." DJ spoke up.

The elevator doors opened up to reveal a small hallway leading directly to the doors of a large vault.

"Huh, a whole basement just for this?" Topher remarked. "Awesome."

The team exited the elevator and walked up to the safe. When they were closer, they noticed a small laptop set up on a table near the vault with a cord running from the laptop into an outlet next to the safe.

"What's that thing?" Zoey asked.

"I dunno." Topher admitted.

"I think we're supposed to hack into the safe." Sierra guessed.

"Does anyone here know how to do that?" DJ asked.

"Nope." Topher replied.

"Definitely not." Zoey added.

"Meh, how hard could it be." Sierra confidently said.

Her teammates confusedly glanced at Sierra.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"In the movies, hacking is just pressing random buttons until what you want to happen, happens. So I figured I could give it a shot." Sierra explained. "It couldn't have been that hard."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were gathered behind a large pile of unkown objects covered by a tarp. All of them seemed the be out of breath.

"Okay... So how do we get rid of these guys chasing us?" Sky asked. "Any ideas?"

"I say we take them head on." Cody suggested. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Hey, Earth to idiot, they have guns and we don't. Remember?" Amy told him.

"What are you talking about we have guns." Sky pointed out.

"Wait, really?" Amy asked as she felt around her outfit. "Huh, you're right. Why haven't we been using them?"

"It's kinda messed up to shoot people we know." Shawn said. "That's why."

"I dunno. I feel like we'd have an advantage." Tyler remarked.

"Look, let's just come up with a strategy, man." Lightning told them.

"Should we try another sneak attack?" Cody suggested. "It went... Okay, last time."

"It isn't the worst idea." Cameron agreed.

"Yeah, I'm with Cam and Cody here." Gwen agreed.

"Okay, stealth attack it is." Shawn said. "How exactly can we put that together?"

"Maybe there's something under this tarp that can help us?" Lightning suggested. "Lightning's a good improviser."

Lightning lifted the tarp slightly and saw that there was a stack of wooden planks under it.

"The hell's that?" Lightning asked.

"Looks like a bunch of wood." Sky said. "Probably for construction."

"Okay... Let's improvise, guys." Lightning said.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Shawn asked.

"Nah man. But it wouldn't be improvising if Lightning knew what he was doing." Lightning told him.

"Hey, be quiet you idiots, I think I hear them coming." Amy told them.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I'm kind of hoping to get eliminated, to be honest." Amy admitted. "Well, only a little bit. But the only reason I came on this show in the first place was to torment Samey. And now that she's not in this season... Well, like, what's even the point."

* * *

Elsewhere on the floor under construction, Dave, Anne Maria, and Scott were wandering around together attempting to find the other team.

"So what's with the suits?" Anne Maria wondered. "Why're we all dressed like this is a Resevoir Dogs themed party?"

"I think this is what the bad guy in Die Hard wore." Scott told her. "Can't remember exactly. My Pappy rented one time a couple years back."

"So wait, we're all supposed to be one guy?" Dave asked.

"Look, it's obviously not going to be exactly like the movie." Scott replied. "And I really think we've got more important stuff to be talking about right now. Like finding the other guys."

The trio drew nearer to the tarp that, unbeknownst to the three Directors, the opposing team was behind. As they got closer, they heard hushed voices from behind the tarp.

"There they are..." Scott whispered to his teammates.

"Do you think they hear us?" Dave whispered back.

"I don't think so." Scott replied, still quiet.

"Let's get the jump on 'em." Anne Maria quietly said.

The group slowed their speed and got closer to the tarp.

"I feel kinda bad about this." Dave admitted.

"Don't think about it too much." Anne Maria told him.

Much to the confusion of the trio, Amy suddenly stumbled out from behind the tarp in a manner that looked as if she had been pushed.

"Gah! What the hell guys!" Amy angrily yelled before noticing she was out in the open.

She covered her head and crouched down.

"Ah! Please don't kill me!" Amy screamed.

"Uh... What's happenin'?" Anne Maria asked.

"It's obviously a trap." Scott stated.

"How?" Dave asked.

"I don't know. I've just got a really strong feeling about it, all right." Scott told him.

"How can somethin' like that be a trap?" Anne Maria asked.

"Yeah, maybe they just really hate Amy and don't want her in the challenge anymore." Dave suggested.

"Hey! That is so rude!" Amy exclaimed.

"You know what, I just say we shoot her from here." Anne Maria remarked.

"Wait! It's totally a trap!" Amy shouted.

"Ha! Knew it." Scott said.

"Really? How's it a trap?" Anne Maria asked.

"Uh, I'm wearing a vest under my shirt. So when you shoot me, it'll bounce off and hit you." Amy said.

"Okay, she's obviously lying." Scott remarked. "I'm gonna shoot her."

Scott reached for his gun but was quickly stopped when he felt something with a wooden texture break over his head. He fell over forwards while his two teammates looked behind them to see Lightning and Sky standing behind them holding wooden planks. Or half a wooden plank in Lightning's case.

"Sha-yeah! Lightning pulled off a sneak attack!" Lightning cheered.

"Seriously, that's the best you got, wood?" Anne Maria asked. "C'mon Dave, let's shoot 'em."

"Oh, okay." Dave replied as he and Anne Maria took their guns out of their pockets.

"I'll be with you in a moment..." Scott weakly mumbled from the ground.

Before Dave or Anne Maria could shoot, Dave was also hit over the head by something wooden. Dave fell over and Anne Maria turned around to see Amy holding a wooden plank as well.

"Ah crap..." Anne Maria trailed off before looking down at her team. "Okay boys, I think I'm gonna run now."

Anne Maria began to run away from the group towards the stairwell. Scott and Dave both slowly rose from the ground.

"Hey! You'd better not be going back to the basement!" Scott yelled as he and Dave ran after her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"Was runnin' away the cowardly thing to do?" Anne Maria rhetorically asked. "Yeah, probably. But it was also the smart thing to do."

* * *

Back in the basement, the rest of the Actors were gathered around Sierra as she pressed random buttons on the laptop.

"Sierra, do you know what you're doing?" DJ asked.

"Not really." Sierra admitted. "But I figure that it's gonna work at some point."

"Do you think there's a faster way to do this?" Topher asked.

"If there is, I sure don't know it." Sierra remarked.

Zoey idly felt around in her pockets, not really sure what to do while this was happening. After a few seconds, she grabbed something plastic and rectangular.

"Hey, guys, there's something in my pocket." Zoey remarked.

"Is it a gun?" DJ asked. "If it is, you gotta be careful with it."

Zoey pulled a walkie-talkie out from her pocket.

"Nope, definitely not that." Zoey said. "Do all of us have these?"

Topher felt around and his pocket and grabbed a walkie-talkie.

"Huh, guess we do." Topher remarked. "Wish I knew about this earlier."

"I'm gonna try to talk to the guys upstairs." Zoey decided as she raised the walkie-talkie to her ear. "Uh, come in. This is Zoey here. Is anybody there?"

There was a short pause while waiting for a response.

"Jeez, Red, ya scared me." Anne Maria's voice replied from the other side. "Didn't even know we had walkie-talkies."

"Yeah, me neither." Zoey admitted. "Just found them. Anyway, I was calling to check to see how the whole getting the safe combination thing was going."

"Uh, it ain't goin' too good." Anne Maria admitted. "We kinda had to retreat and come up with a new plan. Oh, and Dave dropped his gun."

"Wow, that doesn't sound good." Zoey remarked.

"Yeah, it sure ain't." Anne Maria agreed. "Don't worry, like I said we're comin' up with a new plan. How're things on your end."

"Uh... I'm not sure." Zoey admitted. "Sierra's doing... Something."

"All right, talk to ya later." Anne Maria said. "Seriously, we need a new plan."

Zoey put her walkie-talkie back in her pocket and turned to her team.

"So, uh, how's the hacking going?" Zoey asked.

"Still have no idea." DJ stated.

"I think I'm getting there." Sierra claimed as she typed away. "Let me just try pressing... Enter."

Sierra pressed the enter key on the keyboard and some mechanical clicking noises were heard inside the vault. After a few more moments, the vault door swung open to reveal another door behind it.

"All right, one down, several more to go!" Sierra cheered.

Sierra held out her hand expecting a high five but nobody responded.

"C'mon guys, don't leave me hanging." Sierra said.

Zoey high fived Sierra back.

"Yes!" Sierra cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"Sierra's kind of an immature weirdo. But you know what, she's still a pretty nice girl." Zoey said. "Hmmm... Maybe I should try an alliance with her."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were back in the stairwell going up the stairs.

"Okay team, we've got to find these guys." Shawn tried to motivate his teammates. "Think, if I was in their shoes, where would I be?"

"Hey, uh, Shawn, one of them dropped their gun. Should we keep it?" Tyler spoke up, holding Dave's gun.

"Yeah, that seems like it might come in handy." Shawn told him. "You hold on to it for now but keep it safe."

"This tracksuit only has one pocket." Tyler pointed out.

"Okay, I'll just take it then." Shawn said, grabbing the gun and putting it in one of his vest pockets.

"Hey guys, do you remember Scott saying something about the basement?" Gwen asked as her team ascended the stairs.

"Yes, I seem to recall that." Cameron agreed.

"Do you think that means the rest of their team is in the basement?" Gwen theorized.

The whole team stopped halfway up a flight of stairs to think about it.

"Yeah, that would explain where the others are." Sky agreed.

"Think we should head to the basement?" Cody asked.

"How about half of us check the basement and the rest go find Anne Maria, Scott, and Dave." Shawn suggested.

"Yeah, cover more ground. Good idea." Lightning agreed.

"Okay, who should head downstairs?" Gwen asked.

"Well, that's probably where the vault is so taking out the guys down there is probably important." Shawn said. "So as our leader, I think I'll go down there. Who wants to come with me?"

"I'll go too." Sky volunteered.

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered. "Lightning wants to go too."

"Ooh! Ooh! I wanna be part of this too!" Tyler enthusiastically volunteered. "We'll be like, the athlete team!"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome." Lightning agreed.

"All right, great." Shawn remarked. "The rest of you, take care of those other three."

Shawn, Sky, Tyler, and Lightning turned around and began walking down the stairs.

"Okay, let's get these other three, I guess." Cameron remarked. "Who should be the leader here?"

"Pfft, it should obviously be me." Amy volunteered.`

"I dunno, maybe someone more likeable like me should be in charge." Cody suggested. "Or somebody more attractive, like Gwen."

"Don't bring me into this." Gwen said.

"Okay, fine. But I'm just saying, Amy, I feel like we could do better in terms of leaders." Cody remarked.

"Oh, shut up." Amy told him.

"Psst, Cam, you're smart. Maybe you should lead these guys." Gwen whispered to him.

"I dunno..." Cameron nervously replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I've been kind of a shut-in recently." Gwen admitted. "But Cam's a pretty nice guy. That's why I was trying to get him to assert himself."

* * *

Back in the basement, Sierra is still on the laptop with her teammates gathered around her.

"Man, I still can't believe that's actually working." DJ remarked, looking at Sierra.

"Yeah, in movie's hacking is really easy." Sierra remarked.

"Wow, it is boring in here." Topher commented. "Does anyone wanna see what else is going on down here? There's gotta be more than just a safe."

"I'll look around with you." Zoey offered.

"Yeah, me too." DJ decided. "Sorry Sierra."

"That's fine. I'll just keep up my incredibly easy work." Sierra remarked.

DJ, Topher, and Zoey walked away from Sierra and began to wander around the room.

"What do you think could be in here?" DJ wondered.

"Probably not much." Zoey remarked.

"Our part of the challenge is kinda boring. So I hope something interesting's down here." Topher said.

Zoey looked to her left and saw and a door marked "Security Office".

"Oh hey, wonder how we didn't notice that." Zoey commented. "Wanna check it out?"

"Sure, it'll give us something to do." Topher agreed.

"Are we allowed in there?" DJ wondered.

"We're supposed to be thieves. I don't think we're allowed anywhere." Topher pointed out.

"Oh, right." DJ remembered. "Okay, let's check out the office."

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"You know, no matter how long the challenge went on, I still wasn't completely comfortable being a thief." DJ admitted.

* * *

Zoey opened the door and the three of them entered the security office. There were no other people in the room, but there were however many screens showing various different parts of the building.

"Wow, that is a lot of screens." Topher commented. "You think there's a way to hook a TV up to security monitors? In real life, I mean."

"I dunno. I'm not a security expert." Zoey answered.

"Hey, we could probably locate the other team on here." DJ realized.

"Great idea, DJ. Let's try that out." Topher remarked.

The trio gathered around the cluster of monitors. They scanned the monitors with their eyes to see if they could catch any glimpses of the other team or even their own teammates.

"Wow, there are a lot of cameras in this place." Topher realized. "I can even see Sierra on her computer."

"Hmm... Where are the other guys..." Zoey wondered as she looked at the many screens. "Oh! There they are!"

Zoey pointed to a monitor that showed Shawn, Lightning, Sky, and Tyler walking down a flight of stairs.

"Huh, I see the rest of 'em here." DJ remarked as he pointed to a monitor showing Gwen, Cameron, Cody, and Amy going up a different flight of stairs.

"Wait, why did they split up?" Topher asked.

"I think the ones going down the stairs are trying to find _us_." Zoey realized. "And from the looks of things they're getting close."

"Okay... We need to think of a way to avoid this." Topher stated. "Nobody panic... Heh, I'm definitely not."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Wow, it turns out being team leader comes with a lot of responsibility." Topher remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on another under construction floor of the building, Scott paced around in front of a wall while Anne Maria and Dave stood in place looking at him.

"Okay people, our team is counting on us." Scott told his teammates. "Whatta we do here to get those guys?"

"Just shoot 'em." Anne Maria remarked. "It can't be that hard."

"The moral implications kinda disturb me." Dave admitted.

"Shut up, you lost your gun." Scott reminded him.

"True, true, I guess I won't have to worry about that." Dave said. "So anyway, what's your plan?"

"Okay, there's only one door up here, right guys?" Anne Maria asked.

"Yeah, right. Go on." Scott told her.

"I say we just stand by the door and shoot whoever goes through." Anne Maria explained her plan. "Whatta you say?"

"Sounds like a good plan." Scott agreed.

"Uh, what do I do?" Dave asked.

"Stay out of the way and don't get hurt." Scott answered. "Now c'mon Anne, let's try this plan of yours."

Scott and Anne Maria approach the door that led to the stairs.

"I think I can hear them coming." Anne Maria remarked.

The pair waited for several moments. After a little bit, they heard slowly approaching footsteps.

"Okay, get ready." Scott told Anne Maria.

The door open revealing Gwen, Amy, Cameron, and Cody on the other side. The quartet froze when they saw the members of the opposing team pointing guns at them.

"Uh... Can we talk this out?" Gwen asked.

Scott and Anne Maria didn't respond and fired their weapons at the team. The bullets hit Gwen causing her to fall over.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt... I just can't get up..." Gwen replied.

Cameron looked over and saw that both Cody and Amy had made a dash for the stairs.

"Guys! Come back and help Gwen!" Cameron called out to them.

"Sorry! It's every man for themselves!" Cody shouted as he ran.

Scott and Anne Maria shot at Cameron and hit him in the chest twice.

"Huh, you're right it doesn't hurt." Cameron remarked as he fell over.

The two of them then disappeared after a flash of white light.

"Wow, these guns are kinda loud." Scott remarked.

"Did either of them have the code for the vault?" Anne Maria asked.

Scott got closer to where the two contestants once were and saw a small piece of paper.

"Yep, looks like it." Scott smiled as he picked up the paper.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"Our team seemed to do much worse than usual today." Cameron observed. "I'm unsure as to what happened."

* * *

Meanwhile, about halfway down the same stairwell, Amy and Cody had stopped to catch their breath.

"Okay... Okay... Let's get back up there..." Cody said between breaths. "I need... To save Gwen..."

"No way, I'm not going up there." Amy said.

"C'mon, Amy. The whole point is to eliminate the other team." Cody reminded her.

"We're outnumbered now, idiot." Amy told him.

"What if we use our guns?" Cody suggested. "That might work."

"Look, I say we go to the basement and take out the guys there." Amy argued. "That way if, the guys opening the safe are out of the challenge, it's easier to win."

"I'm not going to let you push me around." Cody stated.

"Yes you are!" Amy forcefully told Cody as she leaned in closer to him.

"Oh... Okay." Cody said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I could be a leader if I wanted." Cody claimed. "I... I just didn't."

* * *

Back in the basement, Sierra was working on the computer while DJ, Zoey, and Topher stood in front of the elevator. A second door to the vault had opened since the last time the focus was to this area.

"So what are we waiting for now?" DJ asked.

"Well, the fastest way down here has gotta be the elevator." Topher explained.

Just then, a buzzing noise came from Zoey's walkie-talkie.

"Hey, Red, great news. We got the code." Anne Maria's voice said from the other side. "Yeah, get this, Chris just made the code his own name. How lazy can ya get?"

"Huh, wow, he really likes to hear about himself." Zoey remarked. "All right, I'll go tell Sierra about this."

Zoey walked away from DJ and went towards Sierra.

"When do you think those other guys will get here?" DJ asked.

Topher looked up at the elevator and saw the light that indicated the floor the elevator was on slowly moving down.

"I'd say pretty soon." Topher replied. "Better get your gun out."

"I dunno, man. Shooting at people seems a little weird." DJ pointed out,.

"Just think about it like you're playing a video game." Topher suggested.

The light on the elevator highlighted the circle marked "B" indicating that the elevator had arrived in the basement.

"All right, get ready." Topher told DJ as he took his gun out from his pocket and pointed it at the door.

"Uh, o-okay." DJ nervously replied as he grabbed his gun.

The elevator doors slowly opened up to reveal Cody and Amy on the other side. The two Actors starting firing at the contestants in the elevator. Cody and Amy ducked out of the way to the sides of the elevator.

"Dammit Cody! I told you we should've taken the stairs!" Amy yelled.

"It's dangerous to run down stairs!" Cody shouted in response. "You could seriously hurt yourself!"

"Hey, weren't there four of them on the security monitor?" DJ realized as he stopped firing his gun.

"Oh yeah... You're right." Topher said as he stopped shooting his gun. "So where are the other guys?"

A gunshot was heard coming from behind DJ and Topher followed by the latter of the two collapsing to the ground. DJ looked behind him and saw an open door marked "Stairs" with the four other members of the Directors exiting it.

"Man, how'd we miss that door?" DJ remarked.

"Ah jeez, sorry about shooting you Topher." Shawn apologized. "If it makes you feel better I tried to imagine you as a zombie."

"No... That doesn't really help." Topher admitted.

Topher was absorbed by a flash of white light.

"Uh, sorry DJ, really don't wanna hurt you." Sky told him as she pointed her gun at him. "But y'know, we gotta win the challenge."

"It's cool, I get it." DJ replied. "Can I just try to attack you first. Y'know to make it a fair fight."

"That don't sound so bad." Lightning replied.

"Yeah, sure we'll try that." Tyler agreed.

Two gunshots from behind DJ went off followed by the man falling over.

"Aw man... Guess we're not doing that." DJ remarked.

DJ disappeared in a flash of white light. Amy and Cody stepped out of the elevator.

"Ha! I got him real good." Amy bragged.

"You should've let him do that fair fight deal." Cody argued.

"Please, nobody's ever won by playing fair." Amy claimed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I really hope Chris does less murder based challenges in the future." Cody remarked. "'Cause some of this stuff is kinda messed up."

* * *

Sierra is typing into the computer with Zoey looking over his shoulder.

"I typed in his name, why isn't it working?" Sierra asked.

"Was there any capitalization?" Zoey said.

"No, I didn't do that." Sierra replied.

"Well, try it again with capitalization." Zoey suggested.

"The whole thing or just certain letters?" Sierra asked.

"Just walkie-talkie Anne and ask for help." Zoey told her.

Zoey handed her walkie-talkie to Sierra.

"Thanks." Sierra replied.

Just then, several gunshots went off from behind them. However, all the bullets barely missed them and instead hit the wall in front of them.

"Seriously guys! We need to get our act together, man!"

"Uh, I'll take care of that." Zoey told Sierra.

Zoey took out her gun and turned around faced the team behind her.

"Uh... Oh... We're outnumbered here aren't we." Zoey realized.

"Yeah, you are." Sky confidently replied.

"How about a one on one duel?" Zoey suggested. "Y'know, like in the old west?"

"Haha, not doing that." Amy told her, beginning to aim her gun.

"I dunno, a duel would be kinda fun." Cody said.

"It'd be giving her an unfair chance when we could just win the challenge now." Amy argued.

"I still think this whole murder thing is super messed up." Shawn remarked.

"Fine, if you guys aren't doing it, I'm gonna do it." Amy declared as she aimed her gun at Zoey's head.

"Hold on! Shouldn't we aim for Sierra?" Tyler asked.

"Yay! Thanks for noticing me!" Sierra cheered.

"Oh yeah, she's the one trying to get into the vault." Lightning realized.

"Don't worry guys! I got this!" Cody cheered, taking his gun out from his pocket.

Cody ran towards Sierra with his gun raised.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I probably should be offended by Cody trying to get me out of the challenge." Sierra admitted. "But honestly, I'm just glad he was paying attention to me."

* * *

"Don't worry Sierra, I'll save you!" Zoey exclaimed, aiming her gun at Cody as he ran.

However, Zoey didn't have to fire her gun due to the fact that Cody ended up tripping over and slamming his face into the ground.

"Dammit..." Cody muttered. "Why is the floor in here so slippery..."

"Yes! I did it!" Sierra cheered as she pressed the enter key on the keyboard.

The vault door started opening and Sierra and Zoey began quickly walking towards the vault.

"Somebody shoot those two!" Amy shouted out to her team.

"Hey, I'm the leader here." Shawn told her. "So, um, get them!"

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered as he aimed his gun at Zoey and Sierra.

Cody stood up from the ground and Lightning shot off his gun at practically the same time. The bullet hit Cody in the back causing him to fall over.

"Seriously?" Cody complained. "What're the chances?!"

"Ugh! I'll get them!" Amy shouted.

Amy shot at Sierra and Zoey but was unable to hit them.

"Wow, she's a bad shot." Sierra remarked.

"It's probably very hard to aim those things." Zoey guessed.

Zoey and Sierra sped up and made it inside the vault. Once they were in they saw they were inside a large room full of valuable jewels, ornate statues and weapons, and antique coins.

"Okay, this is pretty cool." Sierra admitted.

"So does this mean we win?" Zoey asked.

A white began glowing around the two girls.

"Yeah... I think it does." Sierra replied.

The light flashed and the two of them disappeared completely.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"I was really expecting a challenge based on Die Hard to be more exciting." Cody remarked. "It was kinda just stressful. For me at least. I'm sure the audience is gonna love it."

* * *

Back in the real world, the contestants that were still in the challenge had just come ouit of their virtual reality helmets.

"Yes! We did it!" Sierra cheered. "Yeah! We're awesome!"

"You don't have to rub it in our faces." Sky told her.

"Chris, can you do us a favour and never do a challenge with so much murder in it ever again?" Cody asked.

"Oh my god, why do you keep complaining about that?" Chris remarked. "Just for saying that, I'm making _more_ challenges like this."

"Thanks for that." Scott sarcastically said.

"Don't be such a downer, at least your team was the winner." Chris remarked. "Of course, the same can't be said for the Demented Directors."

"So let me guess, now you're going to tell us to think over who we want to eliminate while eating some of Chef's gross food?" Gwen said.

"Wow, am I really that predictable?" Chris asked.

"A little bit." Cameron admitted.

"Fine, well, just you wait. I'm gonna change it up next time." Chris claimed. "But until then go to the mess hall and enjoy some... I think he made turkey this time. Not entirely sure. Anyway, try to eat it and think about who you wanna vote for."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Sometimes I wonder why Chef makes us disgusting food." Gwen remarked. "I mean, we'd probably feel more motivated to perform better if he gave us, y'know, real food."

* * *

Later, in the mess hall, the contestants were eating cold slabs of meat off plastic cafeteria trays. The camera focused on the Actors as they attempted to eat.

"I feel like it tastes better today." Scott said. "I mean, y'know, comparatively speaking that is."

"Yeah, it's still pretty bad." DJ agreed.

"I dunno, it's pretty great to eat some genuine Chef Hatchet cooking." Topher remarked. "I was actually kinda disappointed when we did that 'Sponsored Meals' thing back in my season."

"You're _glad_ that we have to eat this stuff?" Dave asked.

"Well, yeah, kinda." Topher replied. "Sierra, you agree with me with me, right?"

"A little." Sierra admitted. "When I saw it on TV I always wondered what Chef's food tasted like. And now I know."

"Good to know you're both weirdos." Scott remarked.

"Guys, let's try to stay positive, all right." Cameron said. "We won, didn't we?"

"Thank you Cam. That's the right attitude to have." Gwen agreed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"Behind the dysfunctional vibe our team sometimes has, I feel like there's a lot of positivity going around. And I like that." Zoey said.

* * *

The camera moved over to the Actors at their table.

"So... Should we talk about who we're voting for or would that make things weird?" Cody asked.

"It'd make things weird." Shawn agreed.

"Well, I know who I'm voting for." Amy stated.

"Keep it to yourself in that case." Shawn told her.

"I'm voting for Cody." Amy ignored the zombie fanatic's advice.

"C'mon, what did I just say?" Shawn replied.

"Seriously, Amy? What did I do?" Cody asked.

"You're just kind of a mediocre idiot." Amy explained. "Then again, I may also vote for Shawn. He's kind of a bad leader. Oh, maybe Lightning too. He's kind of annoying."

"You realize thinking out loud like this will probably get _you_ eliminated." Cody pointed out.

"Eh, whatever." Amy replied. "I can't prove that I'm better than Samey when she's not around so there isn't much of a point. Vote for me if you want. Don't really care."

"I'm sorry, I still don't get why I'm a target here." Cody remarked. "And how come Tyler gets to be so clumsy and you aren't even considering him."

"Dude! Not cool." Tyler told him.

"Oh, sorry Tyler. Heh, I don't know what came over me." Cody said.

"Can we please focus on Amy. Because she's kind of being obnoxious right here." Sky pointed out.

"Hey, _I'm_ not the issue here." Amy claimed. "Sure, we won the last two challenges. But let's face it our team is a wreck. Shawn isn't as good a leader as he says he is, Lightning and Tyler may be athletic but they're morons, I'm not even sure what Sky's contributing. It sure doesn't feel like much. And for that matter, Gwen, Cameron, Cody, I don't really feel like you're all contributing enough. _I_ should grab the title of leader and bring us to victory."

"It's not like you're exactly the picture of pleasantness." Gwen pointed out.

"Yeah, you kind of just seem like you're angry all the time." Cody added.

"And weren't talking about how you _didn't_ care about what happened moments before?" Cameron continued.

"Okay, maybe I do care a little, sue me." Amy admitted.

"Look, Amy, we're not taking advice from you because you're massively unlikeable." Cody told her.

"Can we just drop the whole thing?" Shawn suggested. "How 'bout that."

"Fine..." Amy murmured.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cody)**

"Why was she brought back? I watched her season and her sister looked way more pleasant." Cody said.

* * *

Later, at the elimination ceremony, the members of the Directors had gathered in front of the stage. Chirs walked up onto the stage wearing his tuxedo.

"Whatta you guys think of the tux? Is it classy or what?" Chris remarked. "Gotta say, after your brief winning streak, I wasn't really expecting you to come back."

"C'mon man, it already sucks enough to lose." Tyler told him. "Can we just skip to the voting part?"

"As you wish." Chris replied. "Get the makeup room and cast your votes."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Cameron)**

Cameron held up a photo of Shawn with an X over it to the camera.

"I hate to say this, but you aren't exactly the best leader." Cameron admitted. "Maybe if we did a challenge based on zombie's we'd be okay. But as it is, I think it's time for someone else to step up."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy scribbles some lines over a picture of Cody.

"I just don't get what you contribute to this team." Amy stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a photo of Cody and showed it to the camera.

"I hate to agree with Amy, but I feel like you are kind of a weak player." Sky remarked. "No offence. I just really want to win."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen held a crossed out photograph of Lightning up to the camera.

"I know, I should probably vote for Amy." Gwen admitted. "But she's an egotistical idiot with no actual skills. Lightning is an egotistical idiot who's made it to the finale once. So that's why I'm voting for him. But don't worry Amy, you're next."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Tyler)**

Tyler showed a photo of Sky with an X drawn over it to the camera.

"I feel like I'm not taken as seriously as the rest of you athletic guys." Tyler admitted. "I know I probably have bigger fish to fry... But I just wanna be taken seriously, man. And the fewer other athletes there are, the more serious people will take me."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over a picture of Amy and showed it to the camera.

"You're kind of the worst." Shawn remarked. "Sorry for being so blunt, but there's no other way I could put it."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning don't know who to vote for." Lightning admitted. "On one hand, Amy's a real pain to deal with. But on the other hand, she was kinda right 'bout Cody. We all kinda got our little gimmick, but Lightning don't know what he's got goin' on. Then again... Amy ain't a nice person... But Cody also messed up Lightning's shot back there... Hmm... Lightning needs more time."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Cody)**

Cody held up a photo of Amy with an X over it.

"After having to be on the same team as you, I feel really bad for your sister." Cody remarked.

* * *

The scene switched back to Chris arriving on stage with the contestants from the Directors still in the audience. The host carried a plate of golden replicas of himself as he got up on stage.

"Okay, I've counted up the votes and the results are in." Chris stated. "Gwen, Cameron, Tyler, you're good."

Chris threw the three of them their Gilded Chris Awards.

"The rest of you, someone voted for you at least once." Chris said. "These next few Gilded Chris Awards go to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Lightning, Sky, and Shawn!"

Chris tossed the listed competitors their awards

"Cody, Amy, I have one last Gilded Chris Award." Chris said. "Whichever one of you doesn't receive it has to leave. But you already knew that. Anyway, the final award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Amy!"

Chris threw the last award over to Amy.

"Ha! In your face!" Amy cheered. "Can't believe I actually get to stay."

"Neither can I." Cody remarked. "Seriously? What the hell?"

"That's the way it goes sometimes." Chris told him. "Anyway, enjoy your limo ride."

"All right, fine, I guess." Cody said before looking over at Gwen. "Hey, uh, sorry if I ever freaked you out by the way."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Cody. I didn't vote for you." Gwen told him.

"Yeah, it kinda does." Cody admitted. "Well, see ya later."

Cody walked down the red carpet and entered the limousine.

"What did I do wrong?" Cody wondered. "I thought I did all right. Oh well, at least I had fun."

The scene switched to the outside with Chris walking up to the car as it drove away.

"And they're gone." Chris remarked. "I was really expecting him to do better. Anyway, that's about it for this episode. How many more movies will we be able to turn into challenges? Find out, on Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Scott, Sierra, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Sky, Tyler, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

 **Votes:**

Cameron: Shawn

Amy: Cody

Tyler: Sky

Gwen: Lightning

Sky: Cody

Shawn: Amy

Lightning: Cody

Cody: Amy

 **Results:**

Cody: 3 Votes

Amy: 2 Votes

Shawn: 1 Vote

Sky: 1 Vote

Lightning: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. I've only seen the first Die Hard film but it's a pretty entertaining action movie. And I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a good action flick. As stated before, this chapted came out longer than expected but I hope you don't mind. I'm going to try to aim for putting the next chapter of this out next week. Oh, and as for Cody's elimination, I actually originally planned for having him get 7th place. But I realized I couldn't actually think of much to do with him so he's going here. Which is too bad because I actually like writing Cody. Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	5. Aftermath I

**Surprise, this chapter's out super early. It turns out writing Aftermath chapter's doesn't take very much time. But I still hope you guys liked this chapter regardless. Anyway, that's about all I've gotta say for this introduction. But first, let me just respond to your reviews real quick.**

 **ShadowJcreed:** Don't worry, I have plans for Sierra.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thanks. I really enjoy the quirky wordplay you use in your reviews.

 **That British Guy:** Yeah, I sometimes have mixed feelings toward Cody too but most of the time I like him.

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **Guest:** I think I actually saw Sharknado once so I'll take your idea into consideration.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you for reviewing too.

 **Okay, that about does it for the intro. Please enjoy the rest of the chapter.**

* * *

The words "Total Drama Aftermath" appeared in big white letters across a blue screen. Cheerful horn music plays in the background.

"Ladies and gentlemen it's time for the very first segment of… Total Drama Aftermath!" An announcer said. "Get ready for interviews with the contestants that were eliminated from Total Drama Champions and hear their side of things. All here on Total Drama Aftermath."

The blue screen faded away and switched to the standard set that had been used for Total Drama Aftermath in previous seasons. It looked a little worse for wear with some small holes in the backdrop, tears in the furniture, and a slight coating of dust everywhere. On the couch, Geoff and Bridgette sat next to each other with Blaineley on the opposite end of the couch.

"Hello! Welcome back to Total Drama Aftermath!" Geoff announced. "I'm your host Geoff and this is my girlfriend and co-host Bridgette!"

"Hey, what's up everyone?" Bridgette waved to the studio audience. "Yep, we're still your hosts even after like, what, seven seasons?"

"Oh, and Blaineley's also here." Geoff added, turning to the third host. "Say hi, Blaineley."

"Hi." Blaineley said in a grumpy monotone, not even bothering to wave. "I'm back on this show because I love money."

"Well, at least you're honest." Bridgette jokingly remarked.

"Thank you." Blaineley half-seriously replied.

"So guys, let's give our audience a quick recap about who's left so far." Geoff said.

"Right, coming up, we have season four's bossy jock, Jo." Bridgette began. "Season one's handsome model Justin, season six's alleged supervillain Max, and season one's wannabe ladies man Cody."

"I am not looking forward to seeing any of these people." Blaineley added.

"Are you joking or not?" Geoff asked.

"Oh, I'm absolutely not joking." Blaineley said. "Somehow, whoever cast this show finds the most annoying people possible every time. But you know what, I wanna keep my job so I'm going to shut up now."

"Uh huh, let's give it up for our first guest." Bridgette tried to move things forward.

A large monitor lowered down from the ceiling and a photograph of Jo was displayed on the screen.

"That's right this season's first boot was Jo for those of you who don't remember." Bridgette said. "Her team kicked her off for her domineering attitude."

"She probably isn't happy about the fact that she was the first to get kicked off." Blaineley added. "So let's hear her thoughts on the matter."

"So let's get her in hear right now!" Geoff announced. "Everyone give it up for Jo!"

Jo walked on to the stage and slowly walked over towards the couch. She had a very upset look on her face and didn't seem to appreciate the studio audience applauding her. Jo sat down on the spot on the couch between Blaineley and Geoff.

"So... Guess I'm here now." Jo remarked.

"Yep, you sure are, dude." Geoff replied.

"Are you gonna ask me questions or what?" Jo asked.

"We are sure are." Blaineley said. "For starters, how do you feel now that you're eliminated. And eliminated first, at that."

"I feel like my team didn't give me a chance." Jo stated. "I did pretty well my first time around but people just stopped giving me a chance to do well after that. Mark my words, the guys on my team are gonna crash and burn without me."

"Actually they've won two out of the three challenges since you left." Bridgette told her.

"Wait, seriously?" Jo asked.

"Yep." Geoff replied.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Jo insisted. "Whatever, just ask me another question."

"No problem. So, since this season is based around movies, what's your favourite movie?" Geoff asked.

"Seriously? That's it?" Jo remarked.

"Just answer the stupid question." Blaineley told her.

"Okay, fine." Jo replied. "Uh... I just like sports movies in general. Not sure I have a favourite though."

"Sports movies, huh? Talk about predictable." Blaineley remarked.

"Blaineley, don't insult the guest." Bridgette told her.

"Hey, um, I've got a question for you guys." Jo said. "Why's everything so broken up around here? Does this place have a janitor?"

"Yeah, this place got kind abandoned after World Tour." Geoff explained. "And like, we didn't have time to clean it before we started filming."

"Did Chris really blow all this season's budget on those weird video game machines?" Jo asked.

"Yeah, yeah, pretty much." Blaineley agreed. "Uh, let's move on to another question."

"Good idea." Bridgette agreed. "We still have some more time. Jo, you're known for your, um, temper."

"What you say next had better be good." Jo remarked, scowling at Bridgette.

"Heh, uh, anyway, we just wanted to know that out of everyone remaining, who's your least favourite?" Bridgette explained.

"Hmm... You know, it's so hard just to pick one sometimes." Jo said. "There's Lightning of course. I never really liked that guy. Um, I think Shawn's kind of a freak. And that one girl with the mole, Amy. She just was kind of unlikeable."

"C'mon, you gotta choose just one." Blaineley told her.

"I choose Lightning." Jo decided. "Seriously, I just never liked that guy."

"Okay, I think that about does it for your interview." Geoff said. "So you can go take a seat over in the peanut gallery and we can move on to our next interviewee."

"Seriously? That's it?" Jo asked.

"Uh huh, pretty much." Blaineley told her.

"Okay, whatever." Jo said. "The less I have to do, the better. See ya later."

Jo stood up and walked away from the couch and over to a grouping of chairs on stage where she sat down.

"So who do we have next?" Bridgette asked her co-hosts.

"That's a great question." Geoff replied. "Our next interviewee is..."

Geoff looked up at the monitor with Jo's face above him.

"It's s'posed to change to Justin's face now." Geoff explained. "I think our behind the scenes guy is a bit behind."

The image on the monitor switched to a photograph of Justin.

"Oh, there we go." Geoff remarked before looking at the camera. "Say hello to these season's second guy off. He briefly took charge of his team and it ended horribly for him because then he got eliminated. So give it up for Justin!"

Justin walked on to the stage and waved to the applauding audience.

"Thank you, thank you. You're too kind." Justin said as he began walking over to the trio of hosts.

Justin sat down in the same spot Jo was in just moments ago.

"I am _so_ glad to be here." Justin told them. "Sure, being eliminated sucks. But now there's a zero percent chance of my face being horribly disfigured again."

"The challenges were all virtual. You couldn't have gotten hurt." Bridgette pointed out.

"Oh my god... You're right." Justin realized.

"So Justin. How do you feel about being eliminated?" Blaineley asked.

"Well, uh, up until a few seconds ago I was fine with it." Justin replied. "Now I kinda wish I was back on the show. I feel like I coulda done well. You guys saw me last time we went to the film lot, right?"

"Meh, you were just okay." Blaineley told him.

"Okay?! C'mon Blaineley, you're just saying that to mess with me, right?" Justin asked.

"Fine, maybe a little." Blaineley admitted.

"Ha! Knew it!" Justin cheered. "Score one for Justin!"

" _But_ it's only because I never actually saw the first two seasons." Blaineley added.

"What, seriously?" Bridgette asked. "But you and that other guy hosted Celebrity Manhunt special."

"They just gave me lines and then I said them." Blaineley explained. "I had a basic grasp of your personalities but I never actually saw the show."

"Huh, really thought they would've chosen someone who saw the show." Geoff remarked.

"Hey, I was at the top of my career when they chose me for that." Blaineley claimed. "... And then it all came crashing down for some reason."

"Maybe it's because of your personality." Bridgette told her.

"Guys, I think we're getting off track here." Geoff pointed out.

"Indeed you are." Justin agreed. "C'mon, ask the beefcake in front of you some more questions."

"Right, right, back to that." Blaineley said. "Uh, what questions were we supposed to ask?"

"Y'know, I can't remember." Geoff admitted.

Bridgette felt through her pocket and pulled out some small paper cards.

"Here we go. I got the cards with all the questions on them." Bridgette said. "Okay, here's a question. Justin, why do you think you ended up getting the axe?"

"I think they were just jealous of me." Justin claimed. "I mean, I totally get it. The hair, the face, the body, it's a lot to take in. And when people find someone better than them, they always want to destroy it."

"I don't think that's why you were kicked off." Blaineley told him.

"Pfft, it's gotta be." Justin replied. "Listen, despite what other people say, I think I did a pretty good time at leading my team in the vampire challenge."

"Let's move on to the next question." Bridgette said. "Okay, so Justin, if you could change one thing about this season what would it be?"

"Uh, I'd change it so that I'd win." Justin half-jokingly told her.

"Pfft, how predictable." Blaineley told him.

"C'mon, if you were in my shoes you'd say the same thing." Justin said.

"Hey, uh, we're kinda out of time for this interview, dude." Geoff informed his co-hosts. "Let's move on to the next guy."

"Okay, Justin, please head on over to the peanut gallery." Bridgette told him.

"No problem. I'm just happy to be here." Justin said.

Justin stood up and walked over to the collection of chairs Jo was sitting at. He sat down as far away from Jo as he could.

"C'mon, really?" Jo asked. "What's the matter with me?"

"I just feel like it'd be awkward if we sat down next to each other." Justin explained.

"Yeah... Yeah, it probably would." Jo admitted.

The camera moved back over to the three hosts.

"Okay, so who's next on our guest list?" Bridgette asked.

"Let's see what the screen says." Geoff said, looking up at the monitor.

The image on a monitor changed from one of Justin to one of Cody.

"Hey! That isn't right." Geoff realized. "It's s'posed to show the funny guy with the purple hair."

"We really need to hire some new behind the scenes people." Blaineley remarked.

The picture on the screen changed from Cody to Max.

"There we go." Geoff said. "Our next guest calls himself a supervillain but he so far hasn't proven it. Here's Max!"

The audience began to applaud and Max walked out on to the stage. Max scowled at the studio audience.

"You fools!" Max exclaimed. "You don't clap at evil! You _fear_ it!"

"Uh, Max, could you get over here?" Bridgette requested.

"Never! Evil follows its own orders!" Max declared.

"Okay, fine, don't get over here." Bridgette said.

"Ha! You fool, now that you've said that I _will_ get over there." Max told her.

Max walked over to the couch and sat down with the hosts.

"Wow, I've never seen you in person before and I'm now realizing you _really are_ that short." Blaineley remarked.

"Why must everyone feel the need to comment on my height?" Max asked.

"Because it's really noticeable, okay. That and your weird purple hair." Blaineley said.

"Uh, Blaineley, can we please keep on track?" Bridgette requested.

"Okay, fine." Blaineley said. "Let's just do the questions. Max, tell me, how do you feel about being eliminated?"

"Oh, I am very mad." Max stated. "Those fools who voted for me have no idea the fury they've unleashed. Mwahahaha!"

Blaineley looked over at Geoff and Bridgette.

"Do either you know why this nutjob was picked?" Blaineley asked.

"I dunno." Geoff replied. "Guess the producers thought he made for good television."

"Thank you." Max remarked. "I too think I make for excellent TV."

"Oh, shut up." Blaineley told him.

"Blaineley, be nice to the guests." Bridgette said.

"You shut up too." Blaineley added.

"Guys, can we all just get back on track?" Geoff requested.

"Yes, I'd like to talk about myself more." Max said.

"All right, fine." Blaineley said. "What's our next question?"

"I can remember it." Geoff replied before he looked over at Max. "So Max, you like to talk about how evil you are. What exactly are your evil plans and have any of them actually succeeded."

"Oh yes, I have many evil things that I've attempted and am planning to attempt." Max stated. "Almost too many to list. There's the Death Ray, the Doomsday Machine, the Mind Control Helmet, the Power Armour."

"Okay, but have any of these things actually worked?" Bridgette asked.

"No, not yet." Max admitted. "But soon, with some minor tweaks, I shall become the most powerful man in the world!"

"I think you might just be delusional." Blaineley said.

"Ha! Me? Delusional? Never." Max stated. "I'm the most brilliant person to ever live."

"Literally everything about you makes you look insane." Blaineley continued. "Seriously, what are you even wearing?"

"Blaineley, maybe you should give him a break." Bridgette suggested.

"C'mon Bridgette, even you know this guy's a lunatic." Blaineley said.

"I will not stand idly by while you insult me!" Max declared.

"All right, fine. Chill out." Blaineley told him.

"Let's go on to the next question, dude." Geoff suggested.

"Good plan." Bridgette agreed.

"I can't actually remember the next question." Geoff admitted.

"Lemme check the cards again." Bridgette said, looking down at the cue cards. "Okay, Max, I found your next question."

"Ah, please tell it to me then." Max remarked.

"Max, you've sworn revenge on a lot of people." Bridgette read off the card. "How do you keep track of this?"

"I keep a well documented, frequently updated list with me." Max explained.

"Wow... I was not expecting that response." Blaineley admitted.

"Yeah, me neither dude." Geoff admitted.

"And who exactly is on this list?" Bridgette asked.

"Oh, many, many people." Max stated. "Chris McLean, my former sidekick Scarlett, several members of both my formers teams, my aunt, my eighth grade English teacher, _this woman_."

Max looks over towards Blaineley as he says the last part of the sentence.

"Well, thank you for being honest." Blaineley remarked.

"Ha! Evil is never honest. It's deceitful!" Max said.

"So I'm _not_ on your weird revenge list?" Blaineley asked.

"Stop trying to confuse me, woman!" Max yelled.

"You know what, I think we're done here, Max." Bridgette told him. "Why don't you head on over to the others and we meet our next guest."

"Very well, I shall take my leave." Max said.

"Thank god." Blaineley remarked.

Max stood up and walked over to the Peanut Gallery where he seated himself next to Justin.

"Heh, suddenly I'm feeling comfortable sitting with Jo." Justin remarked.

Just stood up from his chair and moved over to go sit with Jo.

"Don't blame you." Jo said.

"Hmmph, very well. I don't mind." Max claimed. "Evil works best alone anyway."

The camera panned back over to the hosts.

"So, thanks to that behind the scenes mix up earlier, you already know that Cody's coming up next." Bridgette said.

"But let's see if our monitor guys can get it right anyway." Blaineley joked.

The screen above the couch changed from a photograph of Max to one of Cody.

"Huh, whatta you know, I guess they aren't complete idiots." Blaineley remarked.

"Uh, anyway, let's bring out Cody now." Bridgette said. "Won't that be nice."

"Here he is now!" Geoff announced.

The audience erupted into applause and Cody walked out onto the stage.

"Uh, hey there." Cody waved at the audience. "Good to be here."

"Cody, get over here so I can go home." Blaineley told him.

"Oh, all right." Cody replied.

Cody walked over to the couch and sat down with the hosts.

"So, uh, here I am." Cody remarked.

"Jeez, why'd we have to end it on the most boring one." Blaineley remarked.

"What're you getting out of all of this, man?" Geoff asked.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Blaineley replied.

"I mean, why do you keep insulting the guests." Geoff explained.

"It's fun." Blaineley stated.

"Blaineley, try to behave yourself." Bridgette told her.

"Don't treat me like a child." Blaineley said.

"Uh, guys, aren't you s'posed to be interviewing me." Cody pointed out.

"Oh, right, that." Blaineley remembered. "Let's do the first question."

"Right, right." Bridgette said before looking at Cody. "So, Cody, how do you feel about being eliminated?"

"It kinda sucks. I was really hoping I could hold out 'til at least the merge." Cody answered. "But on the other hand, this looks like a Sierra free zone and I'm real happy about that."

"But only time will tell how long that will last, am I right?" Blaineley remarked.

"Please don't tempt fate like that." Cody requested.

"Hey, one quick question." Geoff spoke up. "This isn't on the list, but I wanted to know what terms you and Gwen are on. I was a little confused by that."

"I think we're friends." Cody replied. "I still kinda like but I know she isn't into me. But, uh, as long as she isn't dating anyone right now I figure I can at least try."

"You do realize it won't work out though." Blaineley pointed out.

"Yeah, I do." Cody said. "And I'm okay with that as long as Gwen still respects me as a person."

"Well, at least _someone_ does." Blaineley remarked.

"Ahem, Blaineley, let's move on again." Bridgette suggested.

"Fine, fine. What's the next question?" Blaineley asked.

"Let's see..." Bridgette looked down at the cards.

"You know, you guys probably should've memorized this before starting the show." Cody said.

"We didn't have very much time to prepare." Bridgette explained, still fixated on the cards. "Okay, here's your question. Cody, when you got kicked off, you seemed pretty confused about your elimination. Tell me, now that you've had time to think about it, do you have an idea of why they voted for you?"

"Nope, still don't have a clue." Cody admitted. "I mean, why not Amy? She's so unpleasant to be around. Especially after she insulted literally everyone on the team. I'm just not quite sure what happened."

"Well, sometimes life is just a great big mystery." Blaineley remarked before looking at her co-hosts. "Okay, can I leave now?"

"Not yet, we still have another question for Cody." Bridgette replied, looking down at the cards. "And it says... Cody if you could have done one thing to improve your time on the show, what would it have been?"

"I would have tried to make friends a bit more." Cody said. "Especially with Gwen."

"Ha, how corny." Blaineley remarked. "Okay, well, that's enough for today. I've gotta go home."

Blaineley stood up from the couch.

"Hey, we have to do the outro thing." Geoff pointed out.

"Oh, right." Blaineley realized.

Blaineley sunk back down into the couch.

"Cody, get out of here." Blaineley told her.

"Oh, okay, sure." Cody replied as he stood up.

Cody walked over to the peanut gallery and sat down, intentionally away from Max.

The camera moved back over to the hosts.

"Well folks, that about does it for this episode of Total Drama Aftermath." Blaineley told the cameras. "So shoo, get out of here."

"Uh, what she means is we're outta stuff to talk about." Geoff continued. "But don't worry, we still got the main show to watch."

"Yep, that's right. Stick around because next time it's straight back to... Total. Drama. Champions!" Bridgette finished off the announcement.

* * *

 **And that's it for the chapter. Like I said, it was a lot shorter in comparison to the last four chapters. But hopefully you all still like it. Oh, also, I plan to update my story Strange People later today. So keep an eye out for that too. Anyway, that's about it for the Aftermath. We should get back to regular chapters next time. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Fourteen Samurai

**And w** **e're back to this story. Just to let you know, later today I plan to update my second story "Strange People" too. So if you're a fan of both these stories you're in luck. One quick note before we start. In the first episode, I mentioned how this was not a sequel to Winners or Losers but it turns out I was wrong about that. The guy who requested this story from me has recently informed me that this story is actually meant to take place after Losers and act as an alternate story to Winners. Personally, I think Winners is fine on its own but this technically isn't my story so I can't complain. So anyway, if there were any continuity errors regarding that in the previous few chapters, that's why. Now before we start, here's my response to your reviews:**

 **That British Guy:** Well, sorry you didn't care for the last chapter. I hope you like this one better.

 **N** **icy Haugh:** I know I say this every time, but thank you.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thank you too.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks. I'm going to try to make the next Aftermath more interesting.

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our teams played out one of the 80's best action movies: Die Hard. Unfortunately for the entertainment of the audience, there was very little dying as some of the contestants were concerned about silly things like 'Moral Implications'. But in the end, it was the Actors that won the challenge. And despite Amy's general unlikeable personality, she was chosen to stay over Cody for some reason. Sierra's gonna be super unhappy when she finds out about that. How many more movies can we turn into chllenges? Stick around and find out on, Total. Darma Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On an early morning inside the girls' cabin, most of the girls were already awake. Although this was entirely due to the loud, uncontrollable crying of Sierra rather than any wanting to be up this early. She had been lying face down in bed weeping for almost an hour now.

"Why?! Why did it have to be him!" Sierra sobbed into her pillow.

"Sierra… I know you're upset about Cody being eliminated… But it's six thirty in the morning…" Gwen complained from the bed above her. "But can't you do this later?"

"I'm sorry… I just never got my chance to win him over…" Sierra said, face still buried in her pillow.

Zoey walked over to Sierra's bed.

"Um, Sierra, is there anything we can do to help?" Zoey asked.

"Can you bring Cody back somehow?" Sierra replied.

"No… We can't do that." Zoey told her. "Is there anything else?"

"I guess not…" Sierra sighed. "Just leave me alone for now."

"Well, I think I've had enough." Amy commented. "I'm going outside."

"Yeah, I'll do that too." Anne Maria agreed. "No offence Sierra, but your cryin' is startin' to get on my nerves."

"It's fine… I understand." Sierra replied. "I'll just stay in here and suffer."

"Hey, uh, not to sound rude, but could you suffer a little more quietly?" Sky requested. "I want to get some more sleep."

"Okay… I'll try." Sierra said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"What did I do to deserve this?" Sierra asked. "I just need to be strong… Yeah, I can get through this without Cody…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the boys' cabin, almost none of the male contestants were awake yet. The one competitor who wasn't asleep was Lightning.

"Ah… Man, Lightning had that Super Bowl dream again…" Lightning muttered to himself as he slowly rose from his bed.

He stood up from the bunk bed and slowly looked around the room. The first thing Lightning noticed was Tyler tossing and turning in bed, on the verge of falling off.

"Seriously? Not again." Lightning remarked.

Lightning rushed over to Tyler's bed and shook him.

"Yo! Wake up, bro. You're 'bout to fall off the bed again!" Lightning told him.

"Hmm… What's going on?" Tyler slowly awoke

"Lightning just saved you from hurtin' yourself again." Lightning explained. "You're welcome."

"Oh… Okay…" Tyler sleepily replied.

All the talking had now woken up the rest of the boys.

"Ah jeez, what's going on here?" Dave asked.

"Just makin' sure Tyler here don't hurt himself." Lightning explained.

"Yeah, I, uh, almost fell out of bed." Tyler explained.

"Again?" DJ asked.

"C'mon man, these things are small." Tyler said as he got up from the bed. "I should be asking how you all _don't_ fall out of bed. Am I right?"

"It's too early to be doing this…" Topher sleepily complained. "I need my beauty sleep."

"Pfft, beauty sleep?" Scott scoffed. "Really?"

"I think I agree with Topher." Cameron remarked. "Sleep would be most beneficial for me."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"I wanna be taken seriously." Tyler told the cameras. "So that means no more making a fool of myself to my team."

* * *

A little while later, the contestants were once again hanging out in front of the trailers as they typically did in the mornings. Off behind one of the cabins, Shawn was in the midst of digging a small hole in the ground with his hands.

"Where is it…" Shawn mumbled to himself. "It's gotta be in an obvious place. Right?"

As the zombie-obsessed boy kept digging, he was approached from behind by Amy. Shawn didn't seem to notice her and he kept digging at the ground.

"C'mon… Where is it?" Shawn asked nobody in particular. "Think, if I was an idol where would I hide?"

"Looking for something?" Amy asked in an accusatory tone.

"Gah!" Shawn exclaimed in surprise.

Shawn spun around to come face to face with Amy.

"Oh, Amy, what are you doing back here?" Shawn asked.

"Not much, same as you." Amy replied. "Just trying to find _the idol_."

"Are you trying to intimidate me?" Shawn asked.

"Maybe a little." Amy admitted. "Not too sure what I'm trying to accomplish. Anyway, just thought you'd like to know that you should watch your back."

"Um, thanks for the warning." Shawn replied.

"Okay, bye now." Amy said. "Talk to you later."

Amy walked away from Shawn after saying this.

"Okay… That sure was weird." Shawn remarked once Amy was gone.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I think _I_ should be in charge of this team." Amy told the camera. "Shawn will hold us back, mark my words. If I could throw the challenge and blame it on him I think that should get them to vote him off. It should be easy too. I blame stuff I do on Samey all the time."

* * *

Meanwhile, back out front of the girls' trailer, Anne Maria was in the middle of applying hairspray to herself.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff." Anne Maria remarked. "Feels good, and smells good."

Topher walked over to the area that Anne Maria was in.

"Hey there, Anne." Topher greeted. "Spare any hairspray? I need to do up my hair too."

"Sure thing, I'll getcha one." Anne Maria told him.

Anne Maria reached into her hair and pulled out another can of hairspray.

"You keep hairspray _in_ your hair?" Topher asked as he grabbed the can.

"Well, yeah, where else would I put it?" Anne Maria asked.

"Hey everyone! Your favourite host is back!" Chris announced from out of Topher and Anne Maria's view.

The contestants looked over and saw Chris and Chef on their golf cart approaching them.

"Oh, great, they're here." Scott sarcastically remarked.

"Yep, we sure are." Chris confirmed.

"Are the speakers still broken?" Sky asked.

"Yes, yes, they still are." Chris admitted. "But we're getting it checked on and it should be up and running by the next challenge."

"I feel like you should have poured more of this season's budget into making sure everything works properly." Gwen remarked.

"It's a very old film lot and the speakers are also old." Chris argued.

"Actually we installed 'em in season two." Chef reminded him.

"Shut up, Chef. The point I'm trying to make is that everything here works fine." Chris stated. "C'mon Chef, let's go! Oh, and you all meet us for the challenge."

Chef started to turn around the golf cart but the engine started to make sputtering noises and smoke began to come out of it.

"Everything works fine, huh?" Anne Maria remarked in a slightly mocking tone.

"Ignore this!" Chris told her. "Just go to the challenge warehouse."

The scene shifted to later with the two teams arriving at the warehouse. Oddly enough, this time Chris and Chef were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where are the hosts?" Dave asked.

"My guess is that they're still trying to fix their golf cart." Scott joked.

At that moment, Chris and Chef ran inside the warehouse both looking out of breath.

"We... We made it..." Chris panted. "Just in time..."

"Actually I think you're late." Zoey pointed out.

"No... You're just early..." Chris insisted, still breathing heavily.

"Do you need a minute to catch your breath before the challenge starts?" Sky asked.

"No, no... I'm okay." Chris continued to insist.

"You sure?" Tyler asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Chris said. "And I'm ready to explain the next challenge."

"Great and what's the challenge exactly?" Cameron asked.

"Glad you asked." Chris replied. "This challenge is a throwback to the martial arts genre. There's a powerful sword guarded by an even more powerful samurai in an ancient castle. Both teams goal is to get in there and take the sword. Whoever gets the sword first wins. Sounds fun?"

"Sha-sweet!" Lightning cheered. "Let's do this thing!"

"Okay, get in there and have fun!" Chris tried to encourage them. "And try to get hurt. A lot. Makes for good ratings."

"Glad to know you care about us _so much_." Gwen sarcastically remarked.

"You're welcome." Chris replied in an equally sarcastic tone. "Anyway, you all should sit down in your chairs now."

The contestants complied and sat down at the various chairs lining the room.

"Okay Chef, start it up!" Chris cheered.

"Sure thing, boss." Chef replied.

Chef pressed a few buttons on the machine.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning was pretty pumped 'bout this challenge." Lightning admitted. "He used to watch old kung fu movies all the time."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the Actors found themselves in a snowy mountainous area standing next to a large stone wall at night. Just barely visible on the other side of the wall was a large palace of some kind that appeared to be made of mostly wood. All the contestants were clothed in various colours of yukatas.

"Huh? Where are we?" Sierra asked.

"And why am I wearing a dress?" DJ added.

"It's kind of a good look for you actually." Anne Maria remarked.

"Okay team, we need to focus on the plan here." Topher spoke up.

"And what is the plan?" Zoey asked.

"I don't know yet but I'm going to figure it out." Topher stated. "Does anyone have any suggestions I can use?"

Nobody responded to him.

"Okay, fine." Topher said. "I'll think of something... We're probably going to have to sneak into there somehow."

"Wow, great deducing right there, genius." Scott sarcastically remarked.

"Hold on, I have a plan here." Topher claimed. "Let's just, uh, look around the perimeter and try to find a good way in. Just find a good way in and then go for it. Tha sound good?"

"All right, let's try it out." Sierra agreed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I wasn't actually too sure about Topher's plan." Sierra admitted. "I just went along with it to keep my thoughts away from Cody."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were standing at another part of the large stone wall wearing similar yukatas to the other team.

"Ah man, where are we?" Shawn asked as he looked around.

"I think we're supposed to get in there." Cameron pointed to the palace behind the tall wall.

"Gee, what gave it away." Amy sarcastically replied.

"How do you think we should get past the wall?" Sky asked.

"Oh! Maybe we could pole vault it!" Tyler enthusiastically suggested. "I've done that before... Well, not successfully but there's a first time for everything."

"Maybe we could try the front gate." Lightning suggested.

"Uh, I don't think whoever's up there will take too kindly to some random strangers wanting to be let in." Gwen remarked.

"Hmm, well, there's gotta be a secret or back entrance of some kind, right?" Sky suggested. "Maybe we could look for something like that."

"Great idea." Shawn agreed. "C'mon team, let's go look for a way in."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure this'll go just fine." Amy replied, clearly not meaning it.

"Sha-yeah! It sure will!" Lightning cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like my team doubts. Or at the very least, Amy doubts me." Shawn said. "I'm going to have to either win her over or vote her out. And that last one sounds a lot easier."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the Actors, the group was walking along the side of the wall in an attempt to find a way in.

"Okay, does anybody see any way to get in?" Topher asked.

"Uh... Maybe." Zoey replied.

"What?! Where?" Topher asked. "Quick, everybody stop."

"Oh, okay." DJ remarked as he and the rest of the team stopped in their tracks.

Topher looked over at Zoey.

"What did you see?" Topher asked again.

"Um, I thought that wall over there looks more climbable than the rest." Zoey explained.

Zoey pointed to a section of the wall that appeared to be in worse shape than the rest with several bricks missing and cracks in the surface.

"Huh, almost looks like we could break it down." Dave speculated.

"I feel like the climbing option would be safer though." Zoey argued.

"Topher, whatta ya think we should do?" Anne Maria asked.

"Uh..." Topher trailed off. "Well it sure is a tough call."

"Just pick one." Sierra told him. "If one doesn't work we can always try the other."

"Hmm... DJ, you look like a strong guy." Topher remarked. "You break down the barrier."

"Wh-what? Me?" DJ nervously asked.

"Yep, you." Topher confirmed. "It can't be that hard. Just charge straight at it and knock it down."

"Oh... Okay." DJ replied. "Uh, here I go."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine." Zoey encouraged him.

DJ nodded, not too sure he believed it, and began to back up.

"Okay, just gotta break down this wall." DJ tried to motivate himself. "Here we go."

DJ charged at the wall ahead of him. Once he was close enough he jumped forward a little bit and slammed into the wall with his shoulder. Part of the wall collapsed and left DJ lying in a small pile of bricks and other rubble.

"Did I do it..." DJ muttered, not quite wanting to get up yet.

"Oh my god... I can't believe that actually worked." Scott remarked.

"If this place has guards they probably noticed that." Dave speculated. "C'mon, let's go."

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"It's a good thing that this challenge is all virtual." DJ remarked. "'Cause if it wasn't, I coulda seriously hurt myself."

* * *

Back with the Directors, the group was walking along another part of the wall.

"See any entry points yet?" Shawn asked.

"Lightning's keepin' his eyes out." Lightning stated.

"Hey, how 'bout that?" Tyler suggested.

Tyler pointed to a small wooden door in the side of the wall.

"That looks like some kinda entrance for... I dunno, people who work at weird old palaces." Tyler continued.

The rest of the team stopped to look at the door.

"Do you think it's unlocked?" Cameron asked.

"Only way to know is to check." Sky replied.

"But in case something really bad is behind there, only one of us should check." Shawn added.

"I nominate Amy to check." Tyler suggested.

"What?! Seriously?" Amy asked.

"Just do it." Sky told her.

"Ugh, fine." Amy accepted. "I'll do it."

Amy approached the door and grabbed the handle.

"Here goes nothing." Amy remarked.

She pulled the handle and the door opened up. On the other side of the door stood a young man with short black hair carrying a wooden bucket with a mop in it walking towards the door that had just been opened. The man froze in his tracks when he saw Amy and the rest of her team.

"Uh... Hi." Amy said.

"Wh-who are you and why are you here?" The young man asked.

"Us... We're..." Amy trailed off, looking over at her teammates in an attempt to get help.

"We're new servants here." Gwen lied. "Yep, this big palace needs a lot of people to keep it running."

"Ah, that makes sense." The young man replied. "I wish I was informed of this before. Please, come in."

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Uh, what she means is: Thank you." Shawn said. "We'll be getting to work now."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Can't believe that actually worked." Shawn admitted.

* * *

Back with the Actors, the team was slinking around the outer perimeter of the palace. Currently, they were hidden behind the base of a statue. Nearby them was a door to the palace being guarded by a tall muscular man carrying a spear with him.

"How're we supposed to get past this guy?" Anne Maria asked, peeking around the corner of the statue to get a look at the guard.

"We could just overpower him." Topher suggested.

"Easier said than done." Scott told him.

"Yeah, look at this guy, he's huge." DJ asked.

"But there are seven of us and only one guard." Topher argued.

"Hmm... I guess he has a point." Dave admitted.

"Sure, let's try it." Sierra accepted. "I'm sure things can't go too badly."

"We're really doing this?" Zoey asked.

"Looks like it." Scott remarked.

"Okay, we charge this guy on three." Topher told his teammates. "One... Two... Three!"

The group didn't move despite the countdown.

"C'mon guys, let's go." Topher encouraged his team.

"Sorry, I think we're all just nervous." Zoey explained.

"All right, fine. Here we go." Scott said.

"I'm gonna count again." Topher told them. "One... Two... Three!"

The team got out from behind the statue and charge at the guard.

"Huh? Hey, you!" The guard yelled at the team, pointing his spear at them. "Stop right there!"

The guard was tackled from the side by DJ and pinned to the ground, causing him to drop the spear. As DJ held him, the guard struggled to break free. Scott and Sierra jumped on the guard as well to help hold him down.

"Someone knock this guy out!" Scott shouted over to his team.

Anne Maria grabbed the guard's spear and hit him on the head with the blunt end of the weapon, rendering him unconscious.

"I feel like some other people might have heard that." Dave predicted.

"Well, we'd better get moving." Sierra said, getting up.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"My plan went pretty well back there. Maybe that will get my team to come around to me." Topher remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were being led towards the palace by the young man who they had encountered by the back entrance.

"So, uh, is this a nice place to work at?" Cameron asked their guide.

"Yes, it pays very well." The young man said. "But be sure to stay out of the sword room."

"What's the sword room?" Lightning asked.

"The man who owns this palace keeps a very valuable sword on the top floor of his house." The young man explained. "He does not like people going in there, not even to clean it. So as you could imagine, it's very dusty in there."

"Thanks for the heads up, man." Tyler said.

The young man stops in front of a back door to the palace.

"Here you are." The man told them. "Now get to work, we don't like to say laziness around here."

He then walked away from the group.

"Wow, I can't believe it was that easy." Amy remarked.

"Yeah, well, don't get too confident." Shawn told her.

"Uh huh, something tells me that it'll get harder from here." Gwen added.

"Blah, blah, blah, don't be all doom and gloom." Amy told them. "Let's just get in there."

"Good idea." Cameron agreed.

Cameron grabbed the door handle and opened up the door to reveal a mostly wooden building that had an oddly peaceful atmosphere to it. The team entered and looked around for any possible staircases they could take.

"Wow, this place is pretty nice." Tyler observed.

"Sha-yeah, it sure is." Lightning agreed.

"Don't get too distracted." Gwen advised them. "We need to concentrate."

The group walked around for a few moments before being spotted by a large guard.

"Stop!" The guard called out.

The Directors followed the guards orders and stopped moving.

"Identify yourselves immediately." The guard ordered.

The team looked to face the guard.

"Well, I'm waiting." The guard said, unsheathing their sword and pointing it at the team.

"N-now hold on. We're the, um, new servants here." Shawn told him.

"Ah, excellent. We've been expecting the new kitchen staff today." The guard replied.

"Kitchen? We need to go up-" Amy began before being lightly nudged in the ribs by Sky.

"Just go with it." Sky whispered to her.

"Please follow me and you can get straight to work." The guard told them.

"Oh, okay." Tyler replied.

The guard began walking down the hall and the team followed.

"Guess we're doing this now." Gwen remarked to herself.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"In a martial arts challenge, I did not expect to spend much time being a cook." Cameron admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the Actors, they slowly made their way through the wooden hallways, attempting not to be seen.

"If you were a guy with a magical sword where would you hide it?" Dave asked.

"Did Chris say it was magical?" DJ replied. "I don't remember that."

"I think he did." Zoey said. "I can't remember exactly though."

"I say we check upstairs." Anne Maria suggested. "That seems like a good spot to start."

"Why upstairs?" DJ asked.

"I dunno seems like a cooler place to keep it than the basement." Anne Maria reasoned.

"Well, it's not much to go on but it's better than nothing." Topher remarked. "Upstairs it is then."

"Really? We're gonna follow that?" Scott asked.

Topher nodded.

"If you say so." Scott replied. "Let's go find some stairs I guess."

The Actors continued through the hall but as they kept walking, they heard footsteps ahead.

"Hey, is that bad?" Zoey asked as the approaching footsteps became audible.

"I feel like they found the guy we knocked out by the door." DJ assumed.

Dave looked around the hallway and saw a pair of double doors to his left.

"C'mon, let's hide in there." Dave told his teammates.

"It's better than nothing." Zoey agreed.

Topher opened up the door and the rest of the group went through. The door closed behind them and soon after, the loud sound of many footsteps was heard.

"This way!" A voice from outside shouted. "I found the unconscious guard here!"

"Huh, guess I was right." DJ remarked once the footsteps had faded out of earshot.

"So where are we now?" Sierra asked.

The team looked around and saw that they were in a very closed space full of barrels and cloth sacks.

"Looks like some kinda storage closet." Anne Maria remarked.

Scott spotted a trap door on the ceiling and a ladder in one corner.

"And the only way to go is up." Scott added.

"Man, we're getting closer now." Topher said. "I've got a good feeling about this."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"The challenge was really fun." Sierra told the camera. "It really kept my mind off of Cody..."

The expression on her face changed to sadness.

"I really need to stop bringing him up..." Sierra sighed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the members of the Directors had been put to work as kitchen staff. They had been unable to leave yet due to the fact that there was a large guard standing by the door. The kitchen didn't have any modern implements instead having a controlled fire pit instead of an oven and a washtub instead of a sink. Sky, Tyler, and Amy were all chopping up vegetables together.

"We need to find a way out of here." Amy told her teammates.

"I know." Sky whispered back.

"Do either of you have any ideas?" Tyler asked. "'Cause I've got none."

"We have a lot of knives in here." Amy remarked. "We could just stab the guard."

"That's pretty messed up, man." Tyler told her.

"Pfft, it's not like he's a real guard." Amy argued. "He's just a computer simulation."

"Tyler's right. It still seems kinda wrong." Sky said.

"Well, fine, do you have any ways out of this?" Amy asked.

"We can try to do it non lethally." Sky suggested. "Maybe with a frying pan or something like that."

"If they don't have a sink here I don't think they'll have frying pans." Amy said.

"I dunno, Chris doesn't really know much about old-timey Japan. Maybe he included something like a frying pan." Tyler suggested.

"Fine, we'll do the stupid frying pan idea." Amy decided. "Tyler, go find some weapons."

"Oh, okay." Tyler replied.

Tyler walked over to Lightning who was over by the washtub.

"Psst, Lightning, are there any frying pans over here?" Tyler asked.

"Uh, yeah. Why're ya askin'?" Lightning replied.

"We need something to knock out the guard." Tyler explained.

"Oh, no problem." Lightning said. "Lightning's got this."

Lightning grabs a frying pan out of the washtub.

"Hold on, I wanna do this." Tyler insisted.

"Okay, fine. But Lightning will be your backup." Lightning said as he handed Tyler the frying pan. "Go get 'em."

Tyler nodded and then walked over to the guard by the exit.

"What do you want?" The guard asked.

"I just have a question." Tyler replied.

"Oh, really? What is it?" The guard said.

"This!" Tyler exclaimed as he hit the guard in the stomach with his frying pan.

The guard stumbled backwards but remained conscious.

"You are going to regret that..." The guard muttered as he gained his second wind.

Just then, Lightning ran over to the guard and hit him over the head with a second frying pan, knocking the guard unconscious.

"Sha-wham! Take that guard man!" Lightning cheered.

"Uh, what did you guys just do?" Cameron asked.

"Just got us back on track." Tyler bragged.

"It would have been easier if you just used a knife." Amy insisted.

"So, uh, what now?" Gwen asked.

"We get out of here, that's what." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"Felt pretty good to accomplish something." Tyler admitted. "... Even if Lightning helped a lot."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Actors were currently going up a set of stairs.

"Jeez, how many more staircases 'til we reach the top?" Anne Maria asked.

"Can't be that many." Topher guessed. "We've been at it for a while."

"You know, I thought there'd be more guards up here." DJ remarked.

"My guess is that they're still looking at the commotion we caused down by the entrance." Scott said.

The group continued in silence for a few more moments until reaching the top of the stairs to find themselves in a hallway that looked identical to the ones downstairs.

"Sheesh, whoever the architect for here was, they sure weren't creative." Anne Maria remarked.

"I feel like we have to be at the very top by now, right?" Dave speculated.

"Yeah, there can't be any more floors." Sierra agreed.

"Let's look around and see if we can find this sword we're looking for." Topher suggested. "I have a feeling we're getting close."

"Do you really?" Scott asked.

"I'm just trying to be encouraging, okay." Topher replied.

The Actors walked through the hallways, keeping an eye out for any guards.

"Remember, keep an eye out for any room that looks like a sword might be inside it." Scott reminded the others.

"You mean like that?" DJ pointed at a door ahead of them at the end of the hall with the words "Sword Room" written on a sign hanging from it.

"Yeah... That seems like a pretty obvious sign." Zoey said.

"Shouldn't it be written in Chinese?" Anne Maria asked.

"We're supposed to be in _Japan_." Dave reminded her. "Also, I don't know why it's in English."

"Chris probably didn't wanna confuse us too much." DJ assumed.

"Well, let's get in there." Anne Maria said.

"But it seems almost too convenient." Scott pointed out. "Maybe it's a trap."

"True, it'd be a classic Chris McLean move to make the obvious solution the trap." Topher replied. "But... Maybe he's expecting us to expect that."

"God, just make up yer mind." Anne Maria said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I ain't a big fan of indecisiveness." Anne Maria stated. "When ya make a decision, ya gotta stick with it. Like when I quit back on the island... Wait, bad example."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the Directors, the group was walking up a different set of stairs.

"Do you think they found they guard we knocked out?" Cameron wondered.

"Probably." Sky guessed. "We can't be the only people who go into the kitchen."

"If we used the knives like I suggested then the guard wouldn't be able to identify us when he got up." Amy remarked.

"It's still messed up to stab a guy." Tyler pointed out.

"Yeah, super messed up, man." Lightning added.

"Shut up." Amy told them.

The directors reached the top of the stairs and saw themselves in another wooden hallway full of doors.

"Does anyone else think it seems weirdly quiet up here?" Gwen asked.

"Now that mention it, yeah." Shawn replied. "Wonder what that's about?"

"I think we might be getting close to the sword." Sky remarked.

"What makes you say that?" Cameron asked.

"Well, that guy who let us in said nobody's allowed in or near the sword room." Sky explained. "And since it seems like a ghost town up here, I think we might be pretty close."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Gwen agreed. "Especially because of that sign."

Gwen pointed to a sign that hung from a door at the end of the hallway reading "Sword Room".

"Shouldn't that be in Japanese? Cameron asked.

"Don't question it." Shawn said. "Let's just get in there and win."

The team walked to the end of the hallway and stood in front of the door.

"Okay, here we go. Winning, here we come." Sky tried to motivate her teammates.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"A voice in the back of my head kept telling me 'Sky, this is too easy'." Sky told the audience. "I tried to ignore that voice. But..."

* * *

Shawn opened the door and entered a large room with a katana inside a display case in the centre. There was a sizeable hole in the ceiling with a beam of light shining down on the display case.

"Wow, this is awesome." Tyler remarked. "C'mon, let's go grab the sword and win."

The whole team slowly filtered into the room but before they got close to the sword, a door that was on the opposite side of the room opened. Through the door entered the members of the Actors.

"Dammit! They beat us to it!" Scott exclaimed.

"I told ya we shouldn't have been arguin' 'bout whether or not it was a trap." Anne Maria said.

"Uh, so, what do we do now?" Lightning asked.

"I say we race for it." Topher suggested. "Whoever grabs the sword first wins."

"I might be okay with that." Tyler replied.

"Hey guys, I don't mean to jinx it, but didn't Chris mention something about a samurai guarding this sword?" Zoey asked.

Suddenly, a man in full samurai style armour and mask jumped down through the hole in the ceiling. He landed on top of the sword's display case and shattered the glass.

"Heh... Maybe I'll just be quiet next time." Zoey remarked.

The samurai picked up the sword from its stand and raised it above his head.

"Anyone else feel like this is an offensive stereotype somehow?" Sky asked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Ah Chris, never making it too easy for us now, are you?" Topher remarked. "How I admire you."

* * *

The samurai jumped up in the air towards the Actors, bringing his sword down as they came down. The Actors split in two directions and the sword just hit the wood flooring.

"We need that sword." Dave said.

"Yeah, real great thinking there, genius." Scott sarcastically remarked. "But how do we get it?"

"Haven't thought that far ahead." Dave admitted.

"I still got that gate guard's spear. Maybe we can use that." Anne Maria suggested, holding up the spear she had mentioned.

The samurai turned around and walked towards Anne Maria, katana raised.

"Heh, looks like he heard me." Anne Maria remarked as she slowly backed away. "Uh... Hi."

"Should we help her?" Shawn asked his teammates.

"Nah, it's probably a good thing that he's distracted with her." Amy replied.

"Yeah, but we need that sword too." Gwen pointed out.

"Don't worry we got fryin' pans." Lightning said. "We can take care of this no problem."

"You're serious?" Amy asked.

Lightning ignored that and began to run towards the samurai with his frying pan raised in the air.

"Get ready for some fryin' _pain_!" Lightning cheered as he got closer to his opponent. "Hey, that was pretty funny."

The samurai heard Lightning's one-liner and turned their attention away from Anne Maria. They raised their katana and ran towards Lightning.

"Huh, prob'ly shouldn't have told him I was comin' here." Lightning realized.

Lightning held up his frying pan which clashed against the katana, keeping it away from him.

"Yo! Team! Can Lightning get a little help!" Lightning called out to his teammates.

"Don't worry, I can help!" Tyler exclaimed, holding up his pan.

"Uh, yeah, me too!" Amy quickly added.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I probably should have found Amy wanting to help to be pretty suspicious." Shawn admitted. "I guess I was too stressed by the situation to pick up on it."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"The key to throwing a challenge is to make it look like you tried to help while shifting the blame of messing up on to someone else." Amy said. "At least I think so... Never actually tried it before. Anyway, the point is I'll be in control of this team pretty soon."

* * *

Tyler and Amy began to run at where the samurai and Lightning were clashing.

"Get his attention." Amy advised Tyler.

"How?" Tyler asked.

"I dunno, say a one-liner." Amy suggested. "I can't think of any right now."

"Oh, okay." Tyler replied before looking over at the samurai. "Hey, uh, stupid face! Get over here!"

"Really? That's it?" Amy asked.

"I'm under a lotta pressure." Tyler stated.

Tyler's taunt seemed to have worked though as the samurai had broken contact with Lightning and was angrily pointing a finger over at Tyler.

"Oh, I guess it did work..." Tyler realized.

"Go get 'em." Amy encouraged him.

Tyler nodded and began speeding up and as he did this, Amy turned her foot out ever so slightly. As he ran towards the samurai, he tripped over Amy's foot which caused him to ungracefully stumble towards the samurai who was in the midst of raising their sword in front of them. Before he knew it, Tyler fell right on to the katana which stuck right through him. But oddly enough, there was no blood and Tyler seemed to be in no pain.

"This kinda sucks." Tyler remarked as a white light began to glow around him.

The white light flashed and Tyler disappeared. The samurai let out a deep sinister sounding laugh. Their celebration was cut short when Anne Maria stabbed them in the back with her spear.

"Aw, yeah! Hail to the queen or somethin' like that." Anne Maria celebrated.

The samurai disappeared in a flash of white light and the katana clattered to the ground. Upon seeing this, Sierra immediately scrambled towards the weapon and picked it up.

"I got it!" Sierra cheered. "We win!"

"Sha-dammit..." Lightning said. "Lightning thought he had it."

The remaining contestants disappeared after yet another flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

"Man... Being impaled felt really, really, _really_ weird." Tyler remarked. "I feel like it was kinda worse that I couldn't feel pain."

* * *

Back in the real world, the visors on the contestants' helmet flipped up which brought them out of the simulation.

"And welcome back!" Chris announced. "Did you have fun?"

"Up 'til the part we lost, yeah." Lightning replied.

"Y'know Chris, for a martial arts challenge there wasn't really any karate or kung fu." Dave realized.

"Yeah, I've seen exactly zero of those movies so I kinda just based it off what little I knew." Chris said.

"So, uh, just so we're clear, our team won?" Anne Maria asked.

"Yep, you sure did." Chris told her. "So enjoy that."

"So let me guess, this is the part where you tell us Chris made some food for us?" Sky remarked.

"Sure is." Chris replied. "So you all get over there an enjoy yourselves."

The scene switched to a little while later in the mess hall with both teams gathered at separate tables. The camera focused on the Actors at their table trying to enjoy some soup Chef had prepared.

"Two challenges in a row. We are on a roll, my friends." Topher told his teammates. "Keep this up and it's a one-way ticket to the finale."

"Uh uh, sure is." Sierra replied. "You might be a good leader after all."

"Thank you, I try my hardest." Topher boasted.

"Yeah, yeah, you're all right. But I feel like we might have just gotten lucky." Scott remarked.

"Well, we'll see what you think after we win the next challenge too." Topher said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"Topher probably isn't my first choice for a leader." Zoey admitted. "But I like the positive energy he brings to the team. Even if it seems like he doesn't know what he's doing."

* * *

The camera moved on over to the Directors eating at their table.

"So... Uh, sorry about falling onto that samurai guy's sword." Tyler said.

"Pfft, you'd better be. What'd you even trip over?" Amy asked. "It was a flat floor."

"I dunno man, it all happened so fast." Tyler replied.

"Let's just try to calm down." Cameron told his teammates. "We don't want to think about what happened too hard."

"Thank you, Cameron." Gwen said. "I feel like that'd help all of us."

"All right, but we have to talk about who's fault it is at some point." Amy said.

"Sha-yeah." Lightning agreed. "It's gotta be someone's fault."

"Didn't your frying pan plan not really work?" Shawn pointed out.

"Lightning don't remember that." Lightning claimed.

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go for a jog." Sky announced to her team. "Wanna get some exercise."

"Have fun." Shawn told her.

"Be sure to make it to the ceremony." Amy told her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Okay, fine, it wasn't a jog." Sky admitted. "I was totally looking for the idol. But, y'know, telling them probably wasn't the best idea."

* * *

A little bit later, Sky was standing behind a warehouse marked "01".

"Okay, this seems like a good spot to hide an idol." Sky told herself. "But the question is... Where?"

Sky looked around and saw a grouping of crates marked "Props" to her left.

"Hello. What's this we've got here." Sky remarked.

The gymnast approached the three boxes and took the lid off the first one.

"So what's in here?" Sky wondered.

She looked over the various dusty props in the box.

"Fake sword... Top hat... Creepy mask..." Sky listed off the various props she saw. "Cloak... Fake skull... Hang on, what's this?"

The glint of something metallic catches Sky's eye. She fishes around in the box with her hands until she pulls out a silver replica of Chris' head.

"Oh my god, I actually found it!" Sky realized. "This is amazing! I'd better get back to my team."

Sky walked away from the area leaving the camera looking at nothing. It lingered on the nothing for a few seconds until a barrel in the background began to shake a little. The barrel tipped over and soon afterward Amy climbed out of it.

"Hmmm... So she has an idol, huh?" Amy remarked, her face turning into a sinister smile.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Well, Sky has an idol now. This certainly changes things. Hmm... I wonder if I could get her on my side?" Amy remarked. "Between this and tripping Tyler in the challenge, I'd say things are going pretty well. I mean, I may not be able to vote for Shawn like I originally wanted but Tyler made it to the finale last season so I think he's probably a threat too."

* * *

A little bit later that night, the Directors were sitting in the bleachers in front of the stage. On the stage stood Chris in front of a podium.

"So how do you all feel?" Chris asked.

"Why do you even bother asking?" Gwen replied. "You know what we're gonna say."

"Yeah, you have a point." Chris admitted. "But, uh, regardless, let's get into the votes!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

Cameron held up a crossed out photograph of Lightning.

"I'm not too sure I like you that much." Cameron admitted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning put up a photograph of Tyler with an X over it to the camera.

"Dude fell right onto a sword. How's that even happen, man?" Lightning remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

Amy put an X over a picture of Tyler and held it in view of the camera.

"Somehow, you're both an idiot and a threat." Amy remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Tyler)**

Tyler drew an X over a photo of Lightning.

"Lightning, man, you're kind of annoying. Sorry bro, I'm sure you're a great athlete." Tyler said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

Sky held a crossed out picture of Tyler to the camera.

"Strength is very important to this team." Sky said. "And Tyler, I'm sorry but out of all the athletes here you're the least strong."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"It's a tough call here." Shawn admitted. "Lightning's whole charge ahead strategy didn't really work out. But of course, Tyler and Amy went along with it. And then Tyler impaled himself. So there's a reason to vote for him. And then, of course, Amy's just generally unlikeable. But I don't think she's a threat and she seems at least kinda smart... It's either Lightning or Tyler. Not sure yet."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen drew an X over Lightning's photograph.

"You haven't really changed since All-Stars, sorry. You're just kinda annoying." Gwen said

* * *

The scene changed back over to the stage with Chris now carrying a plate of miniature statues of himself.

"Okay people, we're back from calculating the votes!" Chris announced. "Now it's time to give you these lovely golden representations of me."

"It's not really gold." Sky pointed out.

"Nobody asked you." Chris replied. "Anyway, let's get to the good part. Sky, Gwen, Shawn, Cameron, and Amy. You're all safe."

Chris threw the listed contestants their awards.

"And that leaves us with Lightning and Tyler." Chris stated. "Which one of you is getting axed? Well, I'll tell ya. This last Gilded Chris Award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Lightning!"

Lightning caught the award that had been tossed at him.

"Sha-woo! Lightning gets to stay!" Lightning cheered.

"Aw man..." Tyler sighed. "I thought I did pretty well."

"Sorry Tyler, you're going home." Chris told him.

"Well, I had a good run." Tyler remarked as he stood up. "See ya later."

Tyler began to get down from the bleachers but as he did this he tripped over his shoelace and faceplanted into the ground.

"Can I have some ice..." Tyler weakly requested after a few moments.

The scene changed to later with Tyler inside the limousine holding a pack of frozen peas against his eye.

"I thought I did okay." Tyler remarked. "Yeah, I really think I'm satisfied with how I did. Well, I guess I'd better get going now."

The camera cut over to Chris on the stage.

"Wow, I'd be way angrier if I was him." Chris remarked. "But who knows, maybe the next person who leaves will be mad. The only way to find out is by watching the next episode. So stick around for more, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Scott, Sierra, Anne Maria, Topher, Dave, and Zoey

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

 **Votes:**

Cameron: Lightning

Amy: Tyler

Tyler: Lightning

Gwen: Lightning

Sky: Tyler

Shawn: Tyler

Lightning: Tyler

 **Results:**

Tyler: 4 Votes

Lightning: 3 Votes

* * *

 **And that's it for the chapter. I haven't really seen any martial arts movies personally but I vaguely remember seeing the first quarter to Seven Samurai one time. But anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. If you're wondering why I eliminated Tyler, it's because I gave him a lot of attention back in my Total Drama Losers fanfic. Anyway, I don't really have anything else to say for this chapter so once again, I just hope you all enjoyed reading it. Thanks for reading.**


	7. Co-Dependence Day

**Hey there, guess who's back. Sorry about the delay. I know usually I update these a lot faster. I've had a _very_** **busy week is all and that caused my schedule to slip just a bit. Hopefully, things will get back on track soon. Also, my other story Strange People should be updated very soon as well. Again, I'm going to try and balance to schedule. With that out of the way, here are my responses to your reviews:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** I know you say the same thing every time, but it's still nice to hear anyway.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Yep, I definitely have plans for Amy coming up.

 **That British Guy:** Yeah, I like Tyler too but couldn't think of much for him to do this time around.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for the review.

 **Okay, all that's done. Now for the actual chapter.**

* * *

"Previously, on Total Drama Champions. Our contestants played out a genre I know nothing about: Martial Arts. And when our martial arts masters encountered a samurai, it was the Actors who came out victorious a second time in a row. And the Directors decided to vote Tyler out thanks to him getting himself impaled during the challenge. Will anybody else get impaled? Probably not. But the only way to know for sure is to stay tuned for, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On an early morning inside the film lot's local mess hall, the contestants had gathered for their breakfast of overcooked pancakes and bland oatmeal. The camera moved in on the table that was occupied by the last challenge's losing team: The Demented Directors.

"Ugh… Losing is the worst." Gwen complained.

"I'm sure we'll, do better next time, right?" Cameron said.

"Lightning don't know, man. We lost twice in a row. That's the beginning of a streak if Lightning's ever heard one." Lightning replied.

"If you keep thinking we're going to lose then we're going to actually lose." Shawn told them. "So let's lose that attitude."

"Yeah, Shawn's right." Sky agreed. "We need to think positive here if we want to win."

"Oh sure, _you_ have a reason to be positive." Amy remarked.

Sky paused and stared at Amy with a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" Sky asked.

"Oh, you know what." Amy replied.

Sky paused again and thought about what she'd say next.

"N-no, I really don't." Sky said.

"Well, how about we go have a talk in private and I'll explain." Amy replied.

"Um, all right." Sky remarked as she stood up. "I was done eating anyway."

Amy stood up as well and walked out of the mess hall with Sky.

"Okay… We can all agree that was sketchy, right?" Gwen remarked.

"Yeah, definitely." Shawn agreed.

"Should someone follow them?" Cameron wondered.

"Nah, Lightning's sure it's all fine." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"So after the last challenge, I saw that Sky found one of the idols." Amy explained. "And so, I figured I could use this information to get her to be on my side."

* * *

The camera moved over from the Directors and moved over to the table that the Actors were at.

"So how's breakfast?" DJ asked. "I'm too scared to eat any just yet."

"It's better than usual actually." Zoey admitted. "Of course… That isn't saying much."

"Don't let the food get you down." Topher told his teammates. "We need to keep up this roll we're on."

"Yeah, winnin' feels good. So we'd better listen to Topher." Anne Maria agreed.

"Thank you, you're too kind." Topher remarked.

"What do you think the next challenge will be like, guys?" Dave asked.

"I dunno, it could be literally anything." Sierra said. "Y'know, with the whole VR thing going on."

"Yeah, I'm not sure I entirely understand the virtual reality thing." Zoey admitted. "Like, how does all of this stuff work."

"It's prob'ly very complicated and it'd be confusing if it was explained to us." Anne Maria remarked.

"I'm gonna be honest, I kinda liked it when we had to do the challenges in real life." Topher admitted. "It felt more real and personal."

"Well, if you ask me, I prefer it when there's a zero percent chance of me getting hurt in a challenge." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I need to get Topher out of the leader's seat." Scott told the camera. "I mean, sure, the team's doing all right. But with me in charge, we'd be doing a whole lot better."

* * *

Meanwhile, near a dumpster behind the mess hall, Sky and Amy were talking.

"Okay, so why exactly are you acting like this?" Sky asked.

"I know what you found." Amy told her.

"Oh my god, could you be any more vague." Sky remarked.

"The idol! I'm talking about the idol." Amy stated.

"Idol! I, uh, you have no way to know about that." Sky said.

"Don't play games with me. I followed you around after the last challenge and I saw you find that silver idol." Amy told her.

"Okay, fine, fair enough. You know." Sky remarked. "But now what are you going to do with that info?"

"Well, the silver idol doesn't make you one hundred percent safe from elimination. And if I told everyone you had it, they'd probably turn against you." Amy began to explain.

"You have no way of knowing that." Sky argued.

"True. But do you really want to take the risk?" Amy asked.

"What are you hoping to gain from this?" Sky said.

"I want us to form an alliance." Amy explained.

"There's no way I'll do that." Sky told her.

"Well, how about in addition to not telling everyone about your idol, I'll help you get back at that guy you don't like. You know, Dave." Amy replied.

"I'm still not sure I trust you." Sky said.

"Tell you what, I'll give you to the end of the day to think things over." Amy told her. "Does that sound good? Yes? Great."

Amy walked away from Sky before she had a chance to reply.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"No, I don't trust Amy. She's a pretty bad person." Sky stated. "But with what she knows about the idol, I might just have to trust her. Plus getting back at Dave would be nice. Not to sound spiteful, but he's kind of a jerk."

* * *

The camera then cut over to a close up of the film lot's speaker system mounted on a tall pole.

"Hey, teams! Our lovely interns finally fixed the loudspeakers!" Chris announced through the PA system. "That means I can save money on golf cart fuel. Uh, anyway, the main thing here is that it's time for the challenge. So get over to the studio and we can get this started."

The scene then switched over to the contestants arriving over at the usual warehouse where with the virtual reality equipment where Chris and Chef were already waiting.

"Ah, welcome." Chris remarked. "I see you're all ready."

"C'mon Chris, get to the good part." Anne Maria told him. "Tell us what the challenge is all about."

"Well, someone's in a rush." Chris said. "And in fact, just for that, I'm going to stall a bit more."

"Seriously?" Scott asked. "I'm pretty sure all of us are in a rush."

"Yeah, just tell us the challenge." Gwen added.

"All right, fine." Chris replied. "If you're going to be in such a rush I might as well tell you."

"Thank you. That's so much better." Dave said.

"So today's challenge is based off the alien invasion genre." Chris explained. "Legally speaking, we could not get the rights to reference any particular movie. But anyway, both teams will play the role of a group of soldiers fighting a giant alien monster. Whichever team can defeat the monster first wins the challenge."

"Really? It's that simple?" Shawn skeptically asked.

"Yep, it sure is." Chris replied.

"Are you sure?" Cameron asked. "Because you have a history of hiding secrets about challenges."

"Trust me, this one's as simple as it sounds." Chris said. "So could we please stop stalling and get to the part where you do the challenge?"

"Oh, so you want us to sit down?" Zoey asked.

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you to do." Chris replied. "So do it."

The contestants went over to the various chairs around the room and sat down.

"All right, Chef, turn on the machine." Chris instructed his co-host.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doin'." Chef replied.

Chef pressed a few buttons on the machine. After a few moments, nothing seemed to happen.

"Know what you're doing, huh?" Chris mockingly said.

"Hold up, I missed a button." Chef told him.

Chef pushed another button on the machine.

"That'll do it." Chef said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I figured, zombies and aliens, they aren't that different." Shawn told the audience. "So I thought I'd do pretty well in this challenge."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the members of the Actors were standing in what appeared to be the smashed up remains of an apartment building. The teammates all seemed to be wearing military camouflage and had futuristic looking guns strapped to their backs.

"Ah jeez, where are we now?" Anne Maria wondered.

"Looks like wherever we are the alien got to it first." Dave said.

"Well, we'd better find the alien in that case." Topher remarked. "Especially since we've got these cool laser guns to help us out."

"How do you know they're laser guns?" DJ asked.

DJ took the gun from off his back and inspected it carefully. Out of nowhere, the gun went off on its own and sent a small beam of red energy out of it. The energy hit the wall and left a burn mark behind.

"Never mind, that was definitely a laser." DJ remarked.

"So anyway, does anybody have a plan?" Scott asked.

"It can't be that hard to kill an alien creature." Topher replied. "I say we just go for it."

"All right, sure. I don't see any harm in that." Sierra agreed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I've decided to try something new now that Cody's gone." Sierra explained. "If I hear an idea, I'm just going to go for it. You never know what you might miss if you don't try something."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the remains of a mostly destroyed coffee shop, the members of the Directors were standing. They wore the same uniforms and carried the same weapons as the Actors.

"Okay, where the hell are we?" Amy asked.

"Wherever it is, the place definitely looks post-alien invasion." Gwen remarked.

"Man, this is gonna be sha-fun." Lightning commented as he held up his laser gun. "Let's go get 'em!"

"Hold on we need to have a strategy about this." Shawn told his teammates.

"Okay, what do you propose?" Cameron asked.

"Well, I say we see what we're up against first." Shawn explained. "Then we try to figure out how to attack whatever we're up against."

"I dunno man, I say we just go right at it, y'know?" Lightning suggested.

"C'mon Lightning, I'm the leader here." Shawn told him. "I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, I think I'm with Shawn on this one." Sky agreed.

"All right fine, let's do your thing, man." Lightning said.

"Trust me Lightning, it's probably better this way." Gwen told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Lightning… He's a little odd." Gwen admitted. "He's not really a jerk to anyone on the team, but he's kind of just… Weird."

* * *

Back with the Actors, the group was walking down a mostly torn up street together.

"Jeez, this alien really did a number on this place." Scott remarked.

"Hey, um, Topher, is the plan really just to go right at the alien?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, what's the worst that could happen." Topher said.

"The alien could kill us all and end the challenge early." Zoey pointed out. "That wouldn't be good."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult from the get-go." Anne Maria told her. "Right?"

"Trust me, it definitely could." Topher replied. "You don't know Chris the way I do."

"Guys, let's just be quiet and try to find the alien." Scott said. "I feel like we'd get a lot more done if there was less useless chatter."

"Yeah, I second that." Dave agreed.

The group seemed to be in silent agreement as they walked down the street with not much happening to them for a little while. Eventually, the team heard the roar of an unknown creature come from nearby.

"Quick! Let's get some shelter and see what's out there." Topher instructed his teammates.

The team ducked behind a nearby slab of concrete that appeared to have fallen from a taller building. After waiting for a bit a large humanoid creature with green scaly skin that looked almost twenty feet tall waked down the street and past the hidden team.

"Uh… Should we just attack it now or what?" Dave quietly asked his teammates.

"I dunno… It looks pretty scary." DJ said.

"Yeah… I think DJ's right." Topher agreed.

"We could overpower that alien thing. Like we did with that guard in the last challenge?" Anne Maria suggested.

"Uh… I think you're forgetting that the guard was a pretty regular guy. This thing is a giant monster." Zoey pointed out.

"Yeah, but we've got awesome laser beams." Anne Maria argued.

"You know what, let's compromise." Topher suggested. "We'll follow that thing from a safe distance and then decide what to do."

"Fine." Anne Maria and Zoey both said at roughly the same time.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I don't hate Zoey or anything like that." Anne Maria stated. "But… I dunno, I don't feel like our personalities are compatible. Know what I'm sayin'?"

* * *

Meanwhile, over with the Directors, the group of contestants was walking through another completely different stretch of the city.

"Wow, you'd think something that caused this much damage would be a little easier to find." Gwen remarked.

"Yeah, where do you think this thing is?" Sky wondered.

"Hard to say." Shawn said. "But something tells me we should be able to hear it coming."

"How hard could it be to just track down and kill one thing anyway." Amy remarked.

"I dunno, if it can do this kind of damage I think we should be scared." Cameron pointed out.

"Okay, fine poindexter, maybe you have a point." Amy admitted. "But you can't exactly win a challenge by doing nothing."

"Hate to say it but Amy has a point." Sky said.

"Don't worry people, I have a plan." Shawn stated.

"Lay it on us, bro." Lightning replied.

"We need to get a good look at this thing then decide what to do." Shawn told his teammates.

At that moment the Directors heard thundering footsteps coming from behind them.

"Oh… That can't be good." Cameron realized.

All the members of the Directors turned around and saw a shadow beginning to peer around a corner.

"Quick! Everyone hide!" Shawn ordered.

The team all rushed into a partially collapsed diner and waited for the monster to reach them.

"This thing can't be that scary… Right?" Gwen tried to make things less tense. "Chris likes to go for cheap cheesy scares."

"Don't look at me." Shawn replied. "The two experts on that are on the other team."

"Ugh, those two freak me out." Amy remarked.

"We're talking about Topher and Sierra, right?" Cameron asked.

"Wow, so smart." Amy sarcastically said. "Keep that up and I'll give you a gold star."

"Guys, be quiet. I think I see it now." Sky told the others.

From around a corner stepped the alien monster that the other team had seen.

"Okay, we saw it. Now what?" Amy asked Shawn.

"We attack!" Lightning announced.

"H-hold on now, let's not be so hasty." Shawn told him. "We need to talk for a minute and-"

Shawn was cut off when Lightning fired his gun out the window and hit the monster in its upper arm.

"Sorry bro, Lightning's finger slipped." Lightning apologized.

The monster let out a loud roar and began charging at the building occupied by the Directors.

"That can't be good." Gwen said.

"Everyone get out of the way!" Shawn ordered.

The Directors scattered in different directions around the restaurant as the alien walked right into it. It tore a large hole in the wall sending crumbling pieces of ceiling falling all over the place.

"Gah!" Cameron screamed as a chunk of concrete landed right next to him. "We need to get out of here!"

"You know, for such a smart guy you sure state the obvious a lot." Amy remarked. "Maybe you should-"

Amy was cut off when a piece of what used to be the ceiling landed on top of here. There was the faintest flash of white light from under the piece.

"And nothing of value was lost." Sky jokingly said.

"Seriously guys, run!" Shawn told his teammates.

The monster pounded on the floor with its fists, sending more debris flying.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I didn't really mind dying in the challenge to be honest." Amy admitted. "The less work I have to do, the better."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the Actors, the team was busy running down the street.

"How did we even lose a monster that big?" Scott wondered as he ran.

"Don't worry, I think we're close." Topher said. "I definitely heard the sound of something being destroyed."

"In that case can we go the other way?" DJ nervously asked. "Pretty please?"

"Yeah, I'm with DJ on this one." Dave agreed. "Is there any way to win without getting close to the monster."

"Oh relax, we've got laser guns. What could go wrong." Anne Maria said.

"A lot can go wrong in any situation." Zoey pointed out.

"Just try to be positive, all right." Anne Maria told her.

"Yeah, I like that thinking." Sierra agreed.

The team turned a corner and saw the alien creature tearing up the rubble of a building as the members of the Directors fled into the distance.

"Huh, looks like the other team didn't do so well." Scott observed.

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in me." Dave remarked.

"We just have to be brave. Otherwise, how will we win." Topher said.

Topher aimed his laser at the alien and fired a few beams of energy at it. It left a few burn marks on the creature's back and caused the alien to turn around. It glared at the team and began charging at it.

"Oh wow, it is _really_ easy to get this thing's attention." Topher realized.

"Nice going idiot." Scott remarked.

"Retreat!" Dave panicked.

Dave began running away from the beast.

"Hey! I'm supposed to say that!" Topher yelled.

Topher then realized that the rest of his team was already running away.

"Wait up guys!" Topher called out to his fleeing friends.

He began to ran but just as quickly fell on a piece of rubble.

"Oof!" Topher exclaimed.

Topher slowly began to rise from the ground but is then abruptly stepped on by the alien monster as it runs after his teammates. A faint white glow is briefly seen from beneath its foot.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I feel like that was the least cool I way I could've died." Topher remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I didn't actually care that much about Topher being out of the challenge." Scott admitted. "Because when there's no Topher, _I_ get to be in charge."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were still running down the street.

"Did we lose the monster yet!?" Cameron asked, still sounding freaked out.

"Yeah! I don't see it!" Gwen replied, looking over her shoulder.

With this information in mind, the group slowed themselves down.

"Okay, we've seen what kind of damage this thing can do." Shawn recapped. "Now what? Any suggestions?"

"We use the other team as a distraction." Sky suggested.

"Hmm... Okay, seems like that could work." Gwen agreed.

"But how do we find 'em?" Lightning asked.

"Guys, are we just going to ignore that Amy got crushed?" Cameron interjected.

"Don't worry, it's not like she really died." Gwen tried to comfort him. "And besides, she probably wouldn't have helped much."

"I guess you're right." Cameron said.

"So, uh, what do we do now?" Sky asked. "We need to have a definitive plan here."

"Let's retrace our steps." Shawn said. "Then we can find the monster and take it out."

"Sha-yeah! Lightning likes that plan!" Lightning cheered.

"I dunno... Is there a way to win that involves less chance of getting crushed by a giant monster?" Cameron asked.

"C'mon Cam, you need to be brave." Gwen told him. "You've faced way scarier stuff in real life. This is just a video game."

"I guess you have a point." Cameron admitted.

"So are you ready to get back out there and fight that alien?" Gwen asked.

"Uh, sure." Cameron replied.

"Okay everyone, let's get back out there and try again." Shawn tried to encourage his team. "Now are you all ready?"

"You bet I am." Sky replied.

"Sha-woo!" Lightning cheered.

"Yeah, uh, okay." Gwen said.

"Um, me too." Cameron added.

"Great, glad everyone's in." Shawn stated. "Now let's get back out there."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like I did pretty good back there." Shawn remarked. "It's good to know that if I'm wrong about zombies and it's actually aliens that cause the apocalypse, I'll be ready."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the remaining Actors, they were still on the run from the alien.

"So where are we going now?!" Sierra shouted as they ran.

"Away from the monster, that's all I know!" Dave replied.

Scott looked over his shoulder and saw that the creature that had been chasing them was now gone.

"Guys, I think we lost it actually." Scott told them.

Upon hearing this, the group gradually began to slow down.

"Hey, guys, where's Topher?" Zoey asked.

"Ah Jeez, did we lose him?" Anne Maria remarked.

"Meh, no big deal." Scott said. "I'll just take charge now."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel confident." DJ remarked.

"Well, nobody else is suited for the job so I think I should be in charge." Scott explained.

"I could do it." Zoey offered.

"Pfft, no way." Scott denied.

"Yeah, I ain't too sure 'bout that Red." Anne Maria remarked. "I don't really think any of us are suited for leader work."

"Look, somebody's gotta take charge and I say it's me." Scott stated. "Now let's do something before that monster gets here."

At that moment, the team felt the ground start to shake.

"Oh crap... That's the alien, isn't it." Sierra remarked.

"No, it's just a random earthquake." Anne Maria sarcastically told him.

"Wow, no need to be rude about it." Sierra said.

"Uh, guys, we've kind of got bigger things to work on right now." Dave pointed out.

Several stories of a nearby apartment building exploded outwards sending pieces of debris everywhere. A large chunk of concrete landed on top of both Scott and Dave and a faint glow came out from under the rubble.

"Oh god! We're droppin' like flies!" Anne Maria exclaimed.

The dust from the apartment settled and revealed the alien creature on the other side.

"Ah! Run!" DJ screamed.

DJ fled the area and the remaining contestants followed suit.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Unbelievable. I finally had a chance to lead and I blew it." Scott remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were running through another part of the smashed up city.

"Where is this thing, man?" Lightning wondered. "It takes forever to find it, and when we do we run away."

"Well, this time we'll try not to run." Shawn replied.

"Easier said than done, as the saying goes." Cameron said.

"Shawn has a point, we can't exactly win if we keep running away." Gwen admitted. "Even though a large part of me sure wants to."

"Just don't give up." Sky encouraged. "If you think you can, then you actually can."

"Okay, that sounded a little cheesy but I get your point." Gwen remarked.

"Yeah, thanks." Cameron replied.

The group continued to run down the street without saying a word for a little while more. They turned a corner and see the alien creature running down the street facing away from them.

"It doesn't see us, this is our chance." Shawn remarked.

"What, so we just shoot at it?" Sky asked.

"Sha-yeah! Let's do it!" Lightning cheered, taking out his gun.

Lightning's shouting caught the attention of the monster. The alien turned around, let out a roar, and began charging at the team.

"Open fire!" Shawn announced.

The rest of the team complied and began to fire their laser weapons at the alien creature as it approached them. It left burn marks on the alien's skin but didn't stop it from running.

"Oh dear... I don't think it's going to stop..." Cameron trailed off in fear.

"Keep firing." Shawn told him. "Maybe we can wear it down."

The group kept firing at the monster but it refused to slow down.

"I really think we should run now." Gwen remarked.

"Nah girl, we got this." Lightning insisted.

"No, I think Gwen's right." Sky agreed.

"Yeah, we should probably run." Shawn added.

"Pfft, Lightning ain't ever goin' away!" Lightning declared.

Lightning looked behind him and saw that the rest of his team was running away.

"C'mon, don't be like that, man!" Lightning exclaimed.

He looked back up at the monster as it was going towards him.

"Oh crap..." Lightning trailed off.

The monster stepped on him causing a white light to be barely visible under its foot for a brief moment.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"That was _not_ how Lightning wanted to go out." Lightning remarked.

* * *

Back over with the Actors, the group was currently in the middle of ascending a stairwell in an abandoned and very torn up apartment building.

"Okay, could someone please remind me what the plan is here?" DJ asked.

"Well, I figure that if we get to high ground and fire on the monster from there it can't get us as bad." Anne Maria explained. "That makes sense, right?"

"A little." Sierra said.

"Not really." Zoey remarked.

"Ah, yer just jealous I thought of it first, Red." Anne Maria stated. "Look, everything is gonna go smoothly. Y'all believe me, right?"

"Sure do." Sierra confirmed.

"Uh... A little bit." DJ remarked.

"Still not really." Zoey stated again.

"Well, we'll talk about it later. C'mon, we've reached the roof." Anne Maria said.

Zoey looked up and saw that indeed the group had reached the door leading to the roof of the apartment. Anne Maria pushed open the door and they all stepped out onto the roof.

"Okay, let's find that weird alien." Sierra told her teammates.

The Actors walked over to the left edge of the roof and saw the alien running down the street trying to keep up with the opposing team.

"All right, jackpot!" Anne Maria cheered. "Let's get the jump on this thing."

"I still don't know about this." DJ amitted.

"Look, we need to at least try, okay." Anne Maria said.

"Okay..." DJ nervously replied.

"Great." Anne Maria said. "Okay, it's right under us. Fire! Wow, that was fun to say."

The Actors began firing down at the alien from above. It left several burn mark's on the creature's lower back and caused it to roar out in pain.

"I think we just made it angrier." Zoey realized.

"Keep firin'..." Anne Maria told her.

The creature pounded its fists on the side of the wall causing large cracks to form. The ground beneath the team began to shake and a large chunk of concrete began to break off.

"Everyone back up!" Sierra exclaimed.

The chunk of concrete fell and the contestants managed to back away in time. Except for DJ who stood paralyzed in fear. The concrete crumbled out from under DJ and sent him plummeting down towards the streets below. DJ let out a high pitched scream and as soon as he touched the ground he was absorbed by a flash of white light.

"Aw jeez... Okay, girls: Let's get out!" Anne Maria declared.

The three remaining Actors made a dash for the stairwell.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"A lotta crazy stuff happens while I'm on this show." DJ admitted. "But what happened to me on that rooftop... That was probably in my top five of crazy moments."

* * *

Meanwhile, down on the street, the Directors had stopped running and were watching the monster as it smashes up an apartment building.

"Why do you think it's doing that?" Sky asked.

"I dunno. It kinda just stopped chasing us to attack the building." Gwen observed.

"Maybe the other team's up there." Cameron theorized.

"This seems like a good time to get an attack in." Sky remarked. "Everyone fire!"

Sky shot her laser at the alien leaving some marks near its legs. Her remaining teammates followed suit and shot at the alien.

"Is this really the most effective thing to do?" Cameron asked.

"What would you do?" Sky asked.

"I'm not sure." Cameron admitted. "But it's just that this thing we're doing right now, it's failed every single time we've tried it."

"Yeah, he has a point." Gwen admitted.

"Well, can you think of anything better?" Sky asked. "Because I can't right now."

The alien turned around from the partially destroyed building and roared at the Directors.

"Okay, looks like it's time to run again." Gwen remarked.

"Yep, let's go." Sky agreed.

"Oh, I hate this part..." Cameron said.

The group began to run down the street as the monster chased after them. As they ran, Gwen's foot got caught on a piece of debris and caused her to fall over forwards.

"Whoa!" Gwen exclaimed as she fell.

Sky noticed Gwen hit the ground and ran back to help her. Cameron stopped walking too

"Should I help?" Cameron asked.

"No! Keep running!" Sky called out to him. "We'll catch up!"

"If you say so." Cameron replied.

Cameron looked away from Gwen and Sky before continuing to run down the street. Sky made it over to where Gwen was on the ground.

"Hey, are you okay? Why aren't you moving?" Sky asked once she was close.

"I'm having trouble moving my leg." Gwen explained. "It doesn't hurt, but I can't quite move it. Chris must be making it harder for us."

"Okay, don't worry, I'll help you up." Sky told her.

Before Sky could follow up on this promise, her and Gwen were stepped on by the monster and a faint light glowed from beneath its foot.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Dying in an alien invasion is sure a lot less dramatic when you die via giant foot." Gwen remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, the remainder of the Actors were still running down the stairwell.

"Hey, the building stopped shaking." Zoey realized. "Is that good or bad?"

"Pfft, of course it's good, Red." Anne Maria replied. "How could it not be?"

"Maybe it's trying to lure us into a trap?" Sierra suggested.

"Ah c'mon, that monster ain't smart enough for that." Anne Maria remarked.

The three of them exited the building and saw the monster disappearing into the distance.

"All right, after them!" Anne Maria ordered.

"Wait, why are you in charge now?" Zoey asked.

"C'mon, no time to argue, just run!" Anne Maria repeated herself.

The team dashed ahead after the alien and miraculously slowly began to catch up.

"Hey, is it me or is this alien moving slower?" Zoey remarked.

"Ooh! Maybe that means we're doing damage to it?" Sierra guessed.

"That'd better be the case." Anne Maria remarked.

Anne Maria fired off at the creature as she ran and managed to shoot it in the middle part of its back. The alien roared, turned around, and picked an overturned car up from the ground.

"Ah jeez, here we go again." Anne Maria said. "Everybody retreat!"

The three of them began to run away as the alien hurled the car at the group. Sierra and Zoey quickly duck into a nearby abandoned ice cream shop to avoid the projectile. Anne Maria tried to make it into the same store but was crushed when the car landed on top of her resulting in a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I know none of it was real, but seeing Anne Maria getting crushed like that up close was really terrifying." Zoey remarked.

* * *

Sierra and Zoey cautiously looked around the abandoned ice cream parlour.

"Do you think we're safe in here?" Sierra asked.

"Not for long probably." Zoey replied. "Come on Sierra, we need to come up with a good strategy before that alien gets in here."

"Oh, okay, I'll try to think." Sierra said.

The two girls were silent for a few moments but very quickly were drawn away by the sound of a door opening behind them.

"Who's there!" Zoey exclaimed, pointing her laser rifle in the direction she heard the noise.

"Please calm down!" A meek male voice requested.

Zoey looked towards the source of the voice and saw Cameron standing in front of the parlour's back door.

"Hi Cam!" Sierra cheered. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Oh... Hey there, Sierra..." Cameron nervously replied. "Uh, the rest of my team is kinda dead right now."

"Yeah, so is ours." Zoey remarked. "We're kind of hiding from the alien right now."

"I think I'll stay in here." Cameron decided. "Just as long as Sierra doesn't go crazy over me."

"What, no I'm way past that. Even if I really, really, _really_ miss Cody I promise not to go crazy." Sierra stated.

"I'm not so sure I believe you..." Cameron remarked.

"Look, let's talk about this later." Zoey said. "Right now, I'm just gonna figure out how to get rid of the monster."

"How about a temporary truce." Cameron suggested.

"You mean like, we work together?" Zoey asked. "That could be fun."

"Isn't the whole point of the challenge that we're supposed to be fighting?" Sierra pointed out.

"Cameron's a nice guy, we can trust him. Plus there's safety in numbers." Zoey replied.

"All right, sure, I'm okay with that." Sierra said.

"Just as long as Sierra doesn't mistake me for Cody." Cameron added.

"I swear, that won't happen. Even if you are kinda cute." Sierra said.

"Right..." Cameron nervously trailed off. "So now that we have a truce, what's the plan?"

"Well, the monster looked like it was getting weaker." Zoey replied. "So I say we just keep wearing it down without dying."

"I feel like it's easier to say that than to actually do it." Cameron said.

"Well, we've gotta try it." Sierra remarked. "It's better than nothing."

"Okay team, uh, and Cameron. Let's move out." Zoey said.

The trio exited through the back of the shop and stepped out into the street.

"If you see the alien, be sure to shout it out." Sierra told the other two.

"Oh trust me, I'll be doing that." Cameron replied.

The ground beneath them began to shake a little.

"Uh oh... Here it comes." Zoey said. "Get ready."

The group turned around and saw the alien approaching them from up the street.

"Okay, let's try shooting and walking backwards." Zoey stated.

"All right, let's go." Sierra said.

The three of them began to back up and fired off their rifles at the alien. It seemed to be gradually getting slower.

"All right! We're wearing it down!" Sierra cheered. "Let's keep going!"

The reptile-like creature glared at the trio and began to charge.

"Uh oh, looks like it's got a burst of energy!" Zoey exclaimed. "Let's go a bit faster."

The three of them turned around and began to run from the creature. The alien managed to catch up with them and grabbed Zoey with its claw. The creature brought Zoey closer to itself and ran off further down the street.

"Um, a little help!" Zoey called out.

Cameron stood paralyzed in fear while Sierra ran after the monster.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help!" Sierra cheered.

Sierra ran closer to the alien but was detected by the beast. The alien swung at Sierra with its tail, hitting her and knocking her into a nearby building.

"Whoa... That was weird..." Sierra muttered.

Sierra was them absorbed by a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"I know Sierra was on the other team, but it was at that moment that I felt really alone." Cameron admitted.

* * *

Cameron ran after the alien as quickly as his tiny legs could carry him. Surprisingly, all the damage that had been done to the monster meant that Cameron was actually able to keep up a pace with the monster. After a while, the monster had led Cameron into a park.

"Hey! Stop it you big lizard!" Cameron tried to sound intimidating.

The alien turned around to face Cameron.

"Oh dear... Maybe this was a mistake..." Cameron realized.

"Hi Cam!" Zoey called down to him. "I'd help out but this thing has a tough grip!"

The alien ripped a lamppost from out of the ground.

"Oh dear, this looks bad." Cameron stated as he slowly began to back off.

The monster wrapped the lamp post around Zoey as if the post was made of plasticine. It placed the trapped girl on the ground.

"Seriously!? What's even the point of this!" Zoey exclaimed as she struggled to break free.

"I think it wants fewer distractions when it kills me..." Cameron realized. "I'll get back to you later, Zoey."

Cameron ran off further into the park and the alien followed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I know, I probably should've tried to win more back there." Zoey admitted. "But you try moving when a metal lamp post has been tied around you."

* * *

Cameron ran through the park more. As he ran, he passed by several large trees.

"I need to think of something..." Cameron told himself.

The alien roared and this caused the boy to make an attempt at running faster.

"Please let me win this..." Cameron told himself.

Cameron tripped over the root of a tree and tumbled straight into a completely different tree.

"I think this challenge just hates me now..." Cameron muttered.

The creature advanced on Cameron as he tried to get up. He backed up further but realized he was right against a tree. The alien snarled at Cameron.

"Ah! Go away!" Cameron screamed as he blindly fired his gun in the direction of the alien.

Several beams of energy hit the monster but the majority of them hit the base of a large tree next to it. The beast advanced further and reached out its arms towards Cameron but paused when it heard a noise like the creaking of a rusted door hinge. The alien looked to its left and saw that the tree Cameron had accidentally shot at and saw that it was on the verge of falling over. Cameron realized this and shot the laser gun at the tree one more time.

"I hope that worked." Cameron said.

The tree fell over and crushed the alien, pinning them to the ground. The alien weakly growled and tried to reach its claw towards Cameron but couldn't quite make it. Cameron saw the creature collapse completely and stop moving. There was a thunderous thud when it hit the ground.

"Did... Did I win?" Cameron asked.

Both Cameron and the alien began to glow in a white light. The light flashed and both of them disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"Wow, it feels pretty good to be heroic." Cameron remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Zoey)**

"I feel like that challenge was closer to a Godzilla movie than an alien movie." Zoey said. "That as kinda weird."

* * *

Back in the real world, the visors on Zoey and Cameron's helmets flipped up, bringing them out of their game.

"I did it!" Cameron cheered.

"Gonna be honest, I was not expecting you to be able to pull that off." Shawn admitted. "But nice work."

"Thank you." Cameron replied.

"Yeah, good job." Zoey agreed.

"Hey, you ain't on his team." Anne Maria reminded her.

"Heh, sorry." Zoey said.

"Glad you all had a good time." Chris said. "Anyway, the Directors are the winners here. Gonna be honest, I did not expect you all to die so much."

"Hey, that was a tough lizard monster alien thing." Topher replied.

"Right, right, sure." Chris remarked. "Anyway, I'm sure you all have places you wanna be. But first, it's time to eat. Aren't you excited?"

"Is Chef changing it up?" Scott asked.

"Nope." Chris replied.

"In that case, I'm _not_ excited." Scott said.

The scene switched over to both teams attempting to enjoy what looked like hamburgers in the mess hall. The camera focused on the table of the winning team: The Directors.

"I still can't believe _you're_ the one who ended up helping us win." Amy admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we won. But _you_? Really?"

"Could you stop now?" Cameron requested.

"Yeah, leave him alone. Dude's a nerd but he was also a finalist one time." Lightning said.

"Um, thank you, Lightning." Cameron replied.

"Let's just hope that we win the next one." Sky said.

"I have a feeling there's gonna be a zombie-themed challenge any time now." Shawn stated. "And when it happens, I'll be ready."

"I dunno, I don't feel like Chris would give us such a big advantage like that." Gwen remarked.

"Oh, I feel like he might. He isn't exactly known for playing fair." Sky pointed out.

"Well, there's no way to tell for sure until the challenge starts." Shawn said.

After a few seconds of quietly eating Amy decided to speak up.

"Oh hey, Sky, have you thought about what I said earlier?" Amy asked. "You know about _the thing_."

"We'll talk about this later." Sky replied through gritted teeth.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning's got no idea what's goin' on with those two." Lightning admitted. "It's weird, that's for sure."

* * *

The camera panned over to the Actors trying to eat at their table.

"Okay team, keep thinking positive." Topher tried to encourage them. "This is just a minor setback."

"I think we can agree who's fault it is for losing though." Scott remarked.

"Um, and that would be?" Zoey asked.

"It's you, obviously." Scott explained. "You were the only one left by the end of the challenge so it's your fault for not winning."

"Now hold on, I feel like things might have gone differently if we didn't try Anne Maria's whole building plan." Zoey argued.

"Oh, so you're gonna throw me under the bus now are ya?" Anne Maria replied. "I see how it is."

"I dunno, falling off that building sucked." DJ remarked.

"C'mon, not you too." Anne Maria said.

"Guys, why do we always play the blame game whenever we lose?" Sierra asked.

"It's easy and helps us decide who to eliminate." Dave told her.

"But wouldn't it be more productive if we didn't do that?" Sierra said.

"Yeah, I agree with Sierra here." Zoey remarked.

"You're just saying that 'cause we're thinking of voting for you." Scott replied.

"Well, yeah, kinda." Zoey admitted.

"Listen, I say if we're going to blame anyone we blame somewhere eliminated early on." Topher spoke up.

"Weren't you like, the first person on our team out of the challenge?" Anne Maria pointed out.

"Um, I withdraw my previous statement." Topher stated.

"Look guys, I still say it's not my fault that we lost." Zoey said. "I will not be your scapegoat."

"Yeah, well, I ain't gonna be anyone's escape goat either." Anne Maria added.

"Can we stop arguing now?" DJ requested. "I just wanna eat."

"Yeah all right, let's do that." Dave agreed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I think Zoey was right. Arguing at the lunch really doesn't help all that much." Sierra realized.

* * *

The scene shifted to Dave pacing around behind one of the trailers.

"Okay Dave, keep it together." Dave told himself. "They're not going to vote for you. Yeah, you're totally safe. Untouchable. Totally-"

Dave was cut off when he stepped into a shallow hole and faceplanted into the ground.

"Dammit..." Dave muttered.

He helped himself up from the ground and looked down at the hole.

"Ugh, now who even dug this?" Dave wondered. "Looks like someone did it by hand... Probably Shawn. He's the only one eccentric enough to do it... Maybe he was looking for the idol."

Dave bent down further and saw an odd golden glint in the hole.

"And maybe he was right!" Dave realized. "But if I grab it I'll have to get my hands dirty..."

Dave took a deep breath.

"Okay Dave, this is for an idol." Dave told himself. "It's worth it."

He reached into the small hole and dug around, expanding it a little bit. Eventually, he grabbed hold of something hard and round. Dave pulled out a gold coloured version of the Chris statue.

"All right, I got it!" Dave cheered. "Now I just need to wash my hands..."

From around the corner of the trailer stepped Scott.

"Well hey there, what's that you've got?" Scott asked. "Looks small and gold."

"Oh, nothing." Dave quickly denied, holding the idol behind his back.

"Uh huh, right." Scott remarked. "Y'know I could help you out if we worked together."

"You know what, I think it's time for the elimination ceremony." Dave said.

He then walked away from the area. Scott scowled once he was gone.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Ugh... Great, first my hands get dirty and then Scott finds out about the idol. Could this be any worse?" Dave complained. "It's worth it... I just gotta keep telling myself that."

* * *

The scene changed to later that night when Chris up on the stage and the members of the Actors out in the bleachers.

"All right, well, looks like it's that time of day again." Chris remarked. "The time where you're all grumpy but I'm happy since I get to kick one of you off the show."

"We've done this before. Why do you insist on doing this every time?" Dave asked.

"Cut the attitude." Chris told him. "Now, if you please, it's time to vote."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ drew an X over a picture of Scott.

"I know you didn't do much in the challenge, but I just don't trust you." DJ explained. "I still remember how you tried to pull me into that weird alliance back in the vampire challenge."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott scribbled an X over a photograph of Zoey.

"You've made it to the final three twice and finals once. You're a threat to me." Scott stated. "So bye, bye Zoey."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Anne Maria)**

Anne Maria put an X over a picture of Zoey and revealed it to the camera.

"It's nothin' personal, I swear." Anne Maria stated. "But... Us not winning, it's kinda on you. Sorry, Red."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra held a crossed out photo of Anne Maria to the camera.

"Maybe it's just a little Zoey's fault that we lost." Sierra admitted. "But I feel like we're friends kinda. So I'm gonna vote for Anne Maria. I mean, she didn't do too well as a leader, did she?"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher drew an X over a picture of Dave.

"I feel like there's some tension going on between Annie and Zoey." Topher remarked. "So, I've decided to stay neutral on this subject and vote for Dave. And hey, even if Dave is eliminated for some reason, that'd be a good thing. I feel like he's dead weight sometimes."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

"I'm not really sure who to go for." Dave admitted. "On one hand, yeah, since Zoey was the last person left it's kinda on her that we lost. And I wasn't really there for Anne being in charge. But in general, I feel like she isn't good for the team. And then there's Scott... He hasn't done anythig but I don't totally trust him... I need to think more."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Zoey)**

Zoey crossed out a photograph of Anne Maria and held it to the camera.

"Sorry Anne, but if it's either you or me that goes, I choose you." Zoey said.

* * *

The scene faded over to Chris back up on stage carrying a tray of Gilded Chris awards.

"All right, now for the _really_ fun part." Chris remarked. "Where I send one of you packing... Well, not literally we don't have time for you to pack. But anyway, one of you gets the boot and I get to have fun."

"Why are you like this?" Dave asked.

"None of your business." Chris replied. "Now, DJ, Topher, and Sierra. You're all safe."

Chris threw the three of them their awards.

"Yep, knew I was safe." Topher bragged.

"The rest of you, there's a chance that you'll be going home tonight." Chris continued. "But the next two people who get my lovely face in gold form are..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Dave and Scott!"

Chris tossed two of the remaining three statues over to the mentioned competitors.

"All right, still in the game." Scott remarked to himself.

"Anne Maria, Zoey, we've got one last Gilded Chris Award right here." Chris told them. "Whoever doesn't get it has to go home in our musty old Lame-o-sine."

"C'mon, get on with it. Stop bein' so dramatic." Anne Maria said.

"Jeez, fine, here it goes." Chris replied. "The final golden me goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Anne Maria!"

Chris threw the final Gilded Chris Award over to Anne Maria.

"Yeah! I'm still in it to win it!" Anne Maria cheered as she caught the award.

"Aw... I thought I did pretty well." Zoey remarked.

"Sorry Zoey, I wanted you to stick around." DJ told her.

"Gee, thanks, that makes me feel better." Zoey said.

"Chef! Escort her out of here!" Chris ordered.

Chef approched the bleachers and went up to Zoey.

"All right, let's get you outta here." Chef said.

"Wait, I was just about to leave." Zoey stated.

"Yeah, I know." Chris admitted. "But Chef told me he wanted something to do other than cook today."

"C'mon Zoey, let's go." Chef told Zoey as he grabbed her by the wrist.

The two of them began walking down the red carpet towards the limousine.

"Okay, this is just plain unneccessary." Zoey remarked as she walked.

"Yeah, I know." Chef admitted. "I was kinda hopin' I could kick off someone who deserved it. Anyway, have a fun ride home."

Chef opened up the door to the limousine and Zoey got in.

"Uh, thanks." Zoey said.

The door closed behind her and Zoey sat alone for a few moments. A sudden tapping noise on the car's window caused Zoey to jolt up.

"Gah!" Zoey exclaimed.

She looked up and saw Sierra and Camera on the outside of the car. Zoey then rolled down the window and stared at them for a few seconds.

"Um, hi." Zoey finally managed to say. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, when I heard you were eliminated I went to go grab Cam." Sierra explained. "I figured you'd wanna say goodbye since like, you guys are pretty good friends."

"Oh, I appreciate that actually." Zoey said.

"I'm going to miss you." Cameron told her. "I was really hoping we could both make the merge."

"So was I." Zoey admitted. "How about you just try to make it that far for me."

"Okay, I will." Cameron said.

"Oh! Oh, I'll miss you too Zoey." Sierra told her. "You helped me with Cody being gone a little."

"Thanks. Try to keep acting sane." Zoey advised.

"Okay, will do." Sierra said. "Have fun on the aftermath."

Zoey rolled the window back up and shortly after the limo drove off as Sierra and Cameron waved at her from the outside.

The camera then switched over to Chris back up on the stage.

"Ugh, give me a break with that sappy crap." Chris irritably remarked. "C'mon peopl! I need drama! It's in the title. Whatever, let's just hope the next elimination is more interesting. Of course, you can only know for sure if you stick around for even more, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** DJ, Scott, Sierra, Anne Maria, Topher, and Dave

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Gwen

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

 **Votes:**

DJ: Scott

Scott: Zoey

Anne Maria: Zoey

Zoey: Anne Maria

Topher: Dave

Dave: Zoey

Sierra: Anne Maria

 **Results:**

Zoey: 3 Votes

Anne Maria: 2 Votes

Dave: 1 Vote

Scott: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. My knowledge of alien invasion films is pretty limited but I've seen bits and pieces of "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds". But I hope you enjoyed this chapter all the same. It ended up being longer than I originally anticipated. As for why I eliminated Zoey, it's about the usual by this point. I liked the character but couldn't come up for much in terms of plot. Anyway, that's about all I've gotta say. And once again, hopefully my updating schedule gets back on track. Talk to you tomorrow.**


	8. A Hard Day's Knight

**Well, I guess Monday's going to be my new update day from now on. My schedule's still a little out of whack because right now I'm on vacation with family. But it looks like I was able to get this up on time. Plus, Strange People should be updated a bit later as well. Anyway, that's about all I've gotta say. But first, here's my response to your reviews:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Yeah, I had a bit of fun writing their "Deaths" in the virtual world.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Your wordplay is always appreciated. Also, I've been meaning to watch Tomorrowland but just haven't had the time to get around to it just yet.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing too.

 **And there we have it. That's all the reviews. So anyway, enjoy the rest of the chapter now.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our contestants were tasked with stopping an alien invasion. They didn't do very well. Like, at all. But the team that did worst of all was the Actors who ended up voting out Zoey. But not before she got to say goodbye to some friends. Ugh, boring am I right? Oh, and meanwhile, another idol was found. This time by Dave. But he was spotting doing this by known schemer: Scott. Things are getting pretty exciting around here. What's gonna happen next? Stay tuned and find out on Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

Early in the morning, both teams were eating breakfast in the mess hall. Each plate contained what was probably scrambled eggs with some kind of red sauce on the side. The camera focused itself on the Actors.

"What kind of sauce do you think this is?" Topher wondered as he chewed his breakfast. "It's not spicy… I think there are some herbs in it… Can't quite figure it out?"

"Could you please not talk with your mouth full?" DJ requested. "My mama always told me that's bad manners."

"Sorry." Topher apologized.

"I'm a little worried we're gonna lose again." Anne Maria remarked. "Seriously, we got pulverized by that giant monster in the last challenge."

"Well, so did the other team." Dave pointed out. "So, you know, I feel like that evens things out."

"We still need to make a better effort to win." Anne Maria argued.

"Yeah, she has a good point." Sierra agreed.

"Don't worry, I'm coming up with a great plan." Topher stated.

"But you don't even know what the challenge is." DJ said.

"It's apllyable to any situation." Topher claimed.

"I think you meant 'Applicable'." Dave told him.

"Meh, that's close enough." Topher said.

"Oh hey, Dave." Scott began. "Can we talk for a second? Alone."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Dave replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"Somethin' shady is goin' on with Scott." Anne Maria speculated. "Don't know what, but I feel like I'm gonna figure it out at some point."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Dave found an idol recently." Scott explained. "And I'm going to use that to my advantage."

* * *

The camera panned over to the Directors at the other table.

"So now that the team numbers are all caught up do you think we stand a chance?" Cameron wondered as he cut up his food.

"Yeah, I feel like things being even will help." Shawn agreed. "Especially if we do a zombie much challenge which I'm _convinced_ will happen any time now by the way."

"I'm still not sure. I think Chris is waiting for you to be eliminated before he does anything zombie related." Sky speculated.

"Hmm… That is true." Shawn admitted. "Not to brag or anything, but having me during a challenge about zombies would be a bit of an advantage."

"Lightning don't know, Chris likes things bein' unfair." Lightning remarked. "He could do it."

"Yeah, I think he might be right." Gwen agreed. "And if he is, that means good news for us."

"I'm not too sure I'd do well in a zombie apocalypse." Cameron admitted.

"I think if you won the last challenge for us you could handle a virtual zombie outbreak." Shawn told him.

"Oh, hey, I just remembered something." Amy remarked in an oddly cheery was before looking at Sky. "Could we talk in private, Sky. _Please_."

"What's this about?" Sky asked.

"Oh, I think you know what it's about." Amy replied.

"Right, okay, now I remember." Sky said. "Fine, I'll talk to you."

"Great." Amy said.

The two of them got up from the table and left the area.

"Okay, seriously, something weird is going on with those two." Gwen observed.

"Oh, definitely." Cameron agreed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I'm trying to get Sky into an alliance with me." Amy explained. "So far, it hasn't worked… But if I pressure her enough… It just might."

* * *

Meanwhile, behind the mess hall, Scott and Dave were talking near a dumpster.

"I know what you're trying to do." Dave told him. "And my answer is no."

"Ah c'mon, you haven't even heard what I'm about to say." Scott pointed out.

"You're going to ask me to be in an alliance. Then I'm going to say no. You'll bring up the idol. I'll still say no." Dave said.

"So, you think you've got me figured out?" Scott remarked.

"Yeah, I think I'd say so." Dave replied.

"Well, what if I said I'll help you get revenge on Sky?" Scott offered.

"Hmm…. I still don't trust you." Dave told him. "I've seen you on Revenge of the Island. You aren't trustworthy."

"Fine, fine. Tell you what, I'll give you some time to think things over." Scott said. "I'll let you think, and then you'll probably say yes, okay?"

Dave didn't reply and just glared up at Scott.

"All right, good talk." Scott remarked before patting him on the back.

Scott then walked away from the area leaving Dave on his own.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I don't think I like Scott very much." Dave remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the girls' cabin, Amy and Sky had entered.

"So Sky, have you made a decision yet?" Amy asked.

"I still don't want to be in an alliance with you." Sky told her.

"Fine, then how about this? If we lose today's challenge, then I'll tell everyone else about the idol." Amy said. "But, if you join me before we start the voting, then your secret's safe. That's my ultimatum."

"What if we don't lose?" Sky asked.

"Then I'll just have to wait 'til we do." Amy explained.

"Fine, well, I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." Sky told her.

Amy silently stared into Sky's eyes for a few moments with a look of intense frustration.

"You're going to regret this. Mark my words." Amy told her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Sorry Amy, you can't push me around that easily." Sky proudly declared.

* * *

The camera cut to a close up shot of a speaker on the film lot's PA system.

"All right teams, it's time!" Chris' voice announced through the speakers. "Come meet me and Chef at the warehouse for the challenge. You know, the usual. Anyway, see ya there."

The scene switched to a few minutes later with the two teams arriving at the warehouse that had all the virtual reality equipment where Chris and Chef already were waiting.

"Okay, what're we doing today?" Anne Maria asked, sounding unamused.

"A challenge, obviously." Chris said.

"I don't think that's what she was asking." DJ remarked.

"Oh, I know, I just like messing with people." Chris replied. "Seriously DJ, you should know this by now."

"Can you stop stalling and move on to the real challenge please?" Amy impatiently requested. "I just wanna get to the good part."

"Very well then." Chris replied. "Today's challenge will take you back to the age of knight's and swordfights! Sounds fun?"

"Aw man, no zombies?" Shawn remarked.

"Not just yet." Chris told him.

"So what're we gonna be doing?" Topher asked. "Do we get to fight any dragons?"

"Nope, no dragons. Instead, all of you will be competing in a fighting tournament." Chris explained.

"Sha-woo! That sounds awesome!" Lightning cheered.

"It sure will be." Chris said. "The rules are a bit difficult to explain without proper visual aid. So, I'll be joining you in the challenge to explain things. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Uh… Sure, I guess." Cameron replied.

"Great, then get in the machine and we can get things started." Chris told him. "That goes for the rest of you as well."

The competitors went to the various chairs around the room and sat down. Chris followed and sat in one of the empty chairs.

"Aw… Cody always sat in that chair." Sierra remarked.

"How do you even remember that?" Scott wondered.

"Good memory." Sierra replied.

"Okay Chef, start it up!" Chris announced as he and the rest put the helmets on.

"Whatever you say." Chef replied as he went over to the machine.

Chef pressed several buttons on the machine.

"Enjoy the game." Chef said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Wasn't looking forward to Chris being in the challenge with us." Gwen admitted. "He's hard enough to deal with in real life. But I think everyone felt the same way."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I was _so_ excited about Chris being in the challenge with us." Topher stated. "All the more chance to impress him."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, both teams were inside some kind of castle all wearing suits of armour.

"What're we s'posed to do now?" Anne Maria wondered.

"Yeah, and where's Chris?" Dave added.

"Something tells me we're about to find out about that very soon." Shawn remarked.

"Uh huh, maybe something like a big over dramatic entrance." Sky agreed.

"Did someone say over dramatic entrance!?" Chris' voice boomed from somewhere out of view.

A large set of double doors behind the teams swung open and Chris, dressed up like a stereotypical medieval king, stepped into the room.

"Hello, subjects!" Chris announced himself. "I am King McLean."

"Um… Right… So what are we supposed to do, Chris?" DJ asked.

"It's time for you two rivalling knight's to compete in a fighting tournament." Chris explained. "We'll be doing various events until a winner is crowned. Well, not 'Crowned'. I'm the only one who gets to wear a crown."

"What kind of events?" Scott asked.

"We'll get to that when it's time." Chris told him. "But for now, please follow me. We need to go outside."

"So what's the point of even starting in here to begin with?" Gwen asked.

"Because I wanted a dramatic entrance." Chris answered.

"Of course, _that's_ why." Gwen sighed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Yeah... That whole, 'Chris being in the challenge' gimmick... It got old real fast." Sky said.

* * *

The scene changed to later with Chris and the teams entering an open arena type area with a dirt floor and viewing stands made of wood.

"Okay, now what do we do now that we're out here?" Cameron asked.

"It's time to fight!" Chris announced.

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered. "What kinda fightin'?"

"We're starting things off nice and classic with a sword fight." Chris explained. "We'll need one volunteer from each team. The chosen competitors will fight it out until a winner is chosen by our referee. Who happens to be me. Anyway, you guys go decide who you'll send out."

The two teamed walked over to separate sides of the arena to talk and the camera focused on the Actors.

"Okay, who wants to swordfight?" Topher asked. "Anyone?"

"I feel like the other team has an advantage." Dave said. "They have way more athletic people on their team."

"Well, the most muscular guy on the team's prob'ly DJ." Anne Maria pointed out.

"H-hold on, I'm not sure I wanna fight." DJ protested.

"Ah, cheer up DJ, you're our best chance at winning." Sierra tried to encourage him.

"Really? You think I am?" DJ asked.

"Hey, I'm plenty in shape too." Scott argued.

"Uh, you can swordfight instead of me if you want." DJ offered.

"Okay, I'll do it." Scott stated. "Anybody with me?"

"Yeah, sure, I think you'd do okay." Anne Maria agreed.

"All right! I'm going to swordfight." Scott declared.

"Good luck." Topher told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Not leading from the start was a mistake." Scott admitted. "If I want to get a hold on this team, I need to become the leader. And the first step to that is to prove myself to them."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were clustered together and having a similar discussion.

"Okay people, we need to figure out which of us would be best at sword fighting." Shawn told them.

"Pfft, it's obviously Lightning." Lightning stated.

"We should still look at all angles." Shawn said.

"C'mon man, I'm fast, strong, and some third thing too." Lightning insisted.

"I feel like I'd be pretty good." Sky spoke up.

"Let's put it up for a vote." Cameron suggested.

"Yeah, that seems fair." Gwen agreed.

"Fine, but we all know that Lightning's gonna win." Lightning bragged.

"Raise your hand if you want me." Sky said.

Gwen, Cameron, Shawn, and Sky herself raised their hands. Amy looked back and forth between Lightning and Sky for several moments and then decided to raise her hand.

"Seriously?" Lightning asked. "All right fine, but don't blame me when ya lose."

"We're not going to lose." Sky proudly stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Was I super jealous of Sky back there?" Lightning rhetorically asked. "Hell yeah he was. This team needs more respect for Lightning."

* * *

Both teams walked back towards the centre of the arena where Chris was standing.

"So I take it you've made your decisions." Chris remarked.

"Sure did. We'll be using Scott for the sword fighting challenge." Sierra explained.

"Yep, you guys are going down." Scott bragged.

"Well, our team decided on Sky." Shawn said.

"Yeah, and we're totally winning too." Sky confidently added.

"Well, we'll see about that." Chris said. "Before we start, here are your blades."

Chris reached behind his back and moments later pulled out two swords.

"Um... Where did those come from?" Cameron asked.

"We're in the virtual world, logic doens't apply here." Chris told him. "Now if you would please take your swords please."

Sky and Scott grabbed the swords out of Chris' hands.

"All right, before we start, to keep from any interference, I'll need anyone not holding a sword right now to back off to the side." Chris explained. "Thank you."

The other competitors moved to the sides of the dirt-floored arena.

"All right, I'm going to count to three and the sword fight shall commence." Chris explained.

"Hold on, what are the rules?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, how are we supposed to know how to win this?" Scott added.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you when you've won or lost." Chris told them. "Now for the countdown. Three... Two... One! Fight!"

Chris quickly scurried out of the way, anticipating the fight about to begin.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I don't really have much sword fighting experience." Sky admitted. "But my older sister, she used to be into fencing and I watched her a lot. So I figured, how hard could it be?"

* * *

"So you wanna make the first strike or am I gonna do it?" Scott asked.

"No, I'll do it." Sky told him.

Sky charged at Scott with her sword raised in the air. The blow came down close to his shoulder but Scott made a quick block and the clashing noise of steel on steel was heard.

"Nice try." Scott told her. "You gotta try harder than that."

"Okay, maybe I will." Sky

Sky backed up and got some distance from Scott. At that moment, the both of them ran at each other with their swords raised.

"I hope you're ready for me to win." Scott remarked.

"Don't be so sure of yourself." Sky told her.

The two opposing contestants charged at each other. Scott waved his swords around wildly while Sky tried to keep her weapon steady. The two of them met in the middle of the arena and clashed their swords together. They both pushed, trying to get the other one to fall over.

"Okay... You're pretty good at this..." Sky admitted.

"Thank you." Scott said.

Scott pushed hard against his opponent which caused Sky to topple over.

"Whoa!" Sky exclaimed.

"That's right, guess who's winning now?" Scott remarked.

Scott swung his sword down at the ground but Sky quickly rolled out of the way causing him to miss.

"It won't be that easy." Sky told him.

Sky stood up and hurried around to Scott's other side. She kicked him in his lower back which knocked him down to the ground. Scott rolled over and looked up at the girl standing over him.

"That's cheating!" Scott yelled.

"Chris never said we _couldn't_ kick each other." Sky pointed out.

"I'll allow it!" Chris called out from the sidelines.

"Thank you." Sky said.

Sky brought down her sword towards Scott but he was able to inch back a little causing the blade to hit the dirt right between his legs. Scott, still seated on the ground, moved to the side a little bit.

"C'mon, at least try to stand up." Sky encouraged him.

"Just a second." Scott said.

Scott reached forwards and grabbed Sky by her lower leg. He quickly pulled and caused her to topple over and drop her sword in the process.

"Gah!" Sky exclaimed.

Scott stood up and picked up both his and Sky's swords from the ground. He walked over to where she lay and pointed both swords at her.

"Pretty sure this means I win." Scott bragged.

"Indeed you do!" Chris announced from just out of view.

Chris walked over to the area the two duelling competitors were in.

"One point for Scott's team." Chris told him.

Sky got up from the ground.

"So now what?" Sky asked. "Does my team lose."

"It all depends on this next event." Chris explained. "If your team loses the next one too, you're finished. But if you get a point there, we'll move on to round three."

"And what would the event be?" Scott asked.

"Jousting!" Chris announced.

"Which one is that?" Scott asked.

"It's the one with the horses and the long sticks." Sky told him.

"Yep, that one." Chris said. "So you guys go to your teams and select who you want to play. And remember, you can't bring yourself back."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Okay, losing isn't exactly a good way to make sure we win." Sky remarked. "I'm sure Amy was just _ecstatic_ about that."

* * *

Scott walked over to the rest of his team.

"Did you guys see that?" Scott asked. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Topher said. "So, uh, what's the next event? I wasn't paying attention."

"Jousting." Scott explained. "Y'know, with the horses and long poles."

"So who do ya think we should send out?" Anne Maria asked.

"Well, we can use DJ." Sierra suggested.

"I'm still not so sure." DJ said. "Can someone else do it?"

"C'mon DJ, your shoulders are almost as big as my hair." Anne Maria tried to encourage him.

"I just don't like fighting if I can help it." DJ argued. "Can't anyone else do it?"

"Um, I'd like to be excluded too." Dave added. "I don't want to do anything where I could get hurt."

"I could do it." Topher volunteered.

"Yeah, me too." Sierra added. "Anything to get my mind off Cody."

"Seriously? Still thinkin' 'bout him?" Anne Maria asked.

"He was the love of my life." Sierra said. "Well, kinda."

"Okay, if DJ's out, I say we go for Sierra." Scott suggested.

"Why her?" Dave asked. "No offence to Sierra, but I'm just not so sure."

"I have _a lot_ of energy." Sierra argued.

"You know what, as much as I love showing off, I also love self-preservation." Topher remarked. "Sierra, I'd be happy for you to go up there."

"All right, I'll do it!" Sierra cheered.

"Is this really what we're going with?" Scott asked.

"Looks like it." Anne Maria said.

"Yay! This'll be fun!" Sierra remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I thought I'd do pretty well." Sierra stated. "I'm actually very flexible from all the times I've followed people without them realizing it."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were still deciding on the other side of the ring.

"Can Lightning please get his turn now?" Lightning asked.

"I still think we should look at all the options." Shawn told him.

"C'mon, lemme do this!" Lightning demanded.

"Hold on, I think Shawn might be right." Cameron said. "What other strong contestants do we have?"

"You seriously doin' this?" Lightning asked. "Just let me do my thing."

"Cameron might be right, I mean, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape." Amy remarked.

"Yeah, Shawn seems like he'd do well too." Gwen agreed. "Hell, I feel like I could pull it off."

"Okay, but, I'm the strongest so that means I'm the best!" Lightning angrily declared. "Right?"

"Oh... Sure, right..." Cameron shyly mumbled.

"You know what, let's not chance it." Shawn gave in. "We'll use Lightning."

"Pfft, fine." Amy said. "I still think I could've done well."

* * *

 **(Confessional:** **Amy)**

"Yeah, I may look skinny, but I'm strong." Amy told the camera. "You gotta be if you want to be a cheerleader. Speaking of which, I'm not sure why Samey's still on the cheer squad. I mean, hello, she's way less athletic than me."

* * *

Lightning and Sierra walked to the middle of the arena where Chris stood in wait.

"Pfft, this is Lightning's competition?" Lightning scoffed. "This is gonna be sha-easy."

"Hey, I feel like I'll be able to hold my own." Sierra said.

"That still don't mean you can beat the Lightning." Lightning replied.

"Ahem, can we get to the challenge please?" Chris requested.

"Whoops, sorry." Lightning remarked.

"Hold on, don't we need horses and big poles for this to work?" Sierra asked.

"Ah, I was hoping someone would ask about that." Chris remarked.

Chris snapped his fingers and a haze of pink smoke sprung up from the ground out of nowhere. Once the smoke cleared a small wooden fence was seen running down the centre of the arena. On opposite sides of the fence were two horses and in the hands of Sierra and Lightning were two lances.

"What the sha-hell? How'd any of that happen?" Lightning asked

"Magic!" Chris announced. "Well, actually technology."

"Man, that ain't a satisfyin' answer." Lightning said.

"Too bad." Chris told them. "Now it's time to fight!"

"Wait, what are the rules?" Sierra asked.

"Oh, right." Chris said. "Basically, the simplified version of jousting we're doing involves knocking your opponent off the horse. Whoever knocks their opponent off the most after three rounds, wins."

"All right, I think I can do this." Sierra remarked.

"Sha-yeah! Me too." Lightning remarked.

"Ever ridden a horse?" Chef asked them.

"Can't be that hard." Lightning confidently stated.

"I haven't done it either, but I've seen it in the movies." Sierra remarked.

"Good enough." Chris remarked. "Please get on your horses and I'll announce the start."

"You got it, McLean." Lightning replied.

Sierra and Lightning went over to their horse and, with some difficulties, climbed on to the saddle.

"Okay, round one... Begins!" Chris announced.

"Wait, wasn't sword fighting round one?" Lightning asked.

"That was round one of the whole thing. This is round one of round two." Chris explained. "I know that's confusing, but we're just gonna stick to it. Now, as I was saying... Round one... Begins!"

With that announcement, Lightning and Sierra both charged at each other on their horses with their lances pointed ahead.

"Aw yeah horsey, you go get the weird purple haired girl!" Lightning encouraged his horse.

"C'mon big guy, you can do it!" Sierra told her horse.

Lightning steadied his lance and aimed it at Sierra's chest. Sierra, on the other hand, her lance shook with each step her horse took.

"Yeehaw!" Lightning cheered as they got closer.

"Knight's don't say that!" Chris shouted over to him.

The two of them met in the middle of the arena. Sierra's lance glanced off Lightning's shoulder while Lightning's lance hit Sierra square in the chest and broke.

"Gah!" Sierra exclaimed.

Sierra was knocked off her horse and rolled over on the dirty ground several times.

"Sha-yeah! I win!" Lightning cheered as his horse slowed down.

"Whoa, that was weird." Sierra remarked as she stood up from the ground.

Chris walked over to both contestants.

"And Lightning is one step closer to winning round two." Chris said. "Speaking of which, now it's time for round two of round two."

"That still doesn't make much sense." Sierra told him.

"I know. Now please shut up." Chris replied.

"So, uh, whadda we do now?" Lightning asked.

"Get back to your starting point." Chris explained. "And in Sierra's case, her horse. So get on that right now you two!"

Sierra quickly climbed back astride her horse and both contestants soon were back at their starting points.

"All right round, two of round two shall begin... Now!" Chris announced.

Chris quickly got out of the way and Lightning and Sierra began to charge at each other.

"Hey, what do knight's cheer?" Lightning asked nobody in particular.

"I think something like 'Hurrah' or 'Tally ho'." Sierra replied in a surprisingly casual tone as they got closer.

"In that case..." Lightning trailed off. "Sha-tally ho!"

They both reached the centre of the arena. This time, Lightning wasn't able to get a hit in and instead, his face slammed into Sierra's lance. Lightning fell to the ground as his horse kept running forward.

"Man... Why'd she have to do the face." Lightning complained from the ground.

"Woo! Yes!" Sierra cheered.

"Okay, looks like we'll have to go into round three of round two." Chris remarked as he walked back into the area.

"Just 'cause you keep sayin' that doesn't mean it'll make any sense." Lightning told him as he got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"How about you just shut up and get back on your pony." Chris said.

"It's a _horse_. Also, I'll do that." Lightning replied.

Sierra went back to her starting point while Lightning got back on his horse who quickly followed Sierra's example.

"Okay, just as a reminder, whoever wins this wins round two for their whole team." Chris explained. "So have fun. And... Go!"

For the third time, the two opposing competitors charged at each other on horseback.

"Tally ho!" Lightning cheered again.

"Nice one!" Sierra told him. "But I'm still gonna win!"

"Oh, we'll see." Lightning said. "What was that other thing knight's say?"

"Hurrah!" Sierra cheered.

"Yeah, that." Lightning said. "Hurrah!"

Both met in the middle for one last time where Sierra's lance slammed into Lightning's shoulder shortly before Lightning hit Sierra in the gut which caused his lance to break in half and Sierra to go flying off her horse. After getting about two seconds of airtime, Sierra came crashing down on the dirt.

"Oh yeah! Take that!" Lightning cheered. "Lightning wins, baby!"

"You really know how to rub it in, don't you?" Chris remarked as he approached the two of them.

"You know it." Lightning replied as he dismounted his horse.

"So what happened?" Sierra asked as she stood up, sounding slightly dazed.

"You just lost the battle, but now the war." Chris explained. "In other words, your teams are currently tied. But whichever one of your teams wins this next event wins the whole challenge."

"Ooh, what's the next event?" Sierra asked.

"Fighting: With axes!" Chris announced.

"That sounds just like sword fightin'." Lightning pointed out.

"Yeah, like, practically identical." Sierra agreed.

"You know what, you can just shut up, okay." Chris told them. "Just go back to your team and pick out someone to compete. And remember, they can't have competed already."

"Okay, we'll get right on it." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

I don't really know what I was expecting out of jousting." Sierra admitted. "I wasn't expecting to win, but I wasn't expecting to lose either. Does that make any sense?"

* * *

The scene changed to Lightning arriving back at his team.

"All right guys, we gotta pick someone out for the last event." Lightning explained. "And we can't use me or Scott again. Who's it gonna be?"

"Please don't pick me." Cameron pleaded.

"Wasn't plannin' to, little lady." Lightning told him.

"Uh, I'm not a lady." Cameron replied.

"Ahem, _I_ think _I'd_ be excellent at this challenge." Amy spoke up.

"Uh, I'd like to put myself out there too." Shawn added.

"I dunno man, you're kinda skinny." Lightning pointed out.

"I'm _agile_ , not _skinny_." Shawn insisted.

"I think I'd go for Shawn." Gwen admitted.

"Ugh, really?" Amy asked.

"Uh, I'd like to put myself out there too." Shawn added.

"I dunno man, you're kinda skinny." Lightning pointed out. "Blonde girl's got my vote."

"I'm _agile_ , not _skinny_." Shawn insisted.

"I think I'd go for Shawn." Gwen admitted.

"Ugh, really?" Amy asked.

"Hate to say it, but I feel like Amy might actually be good at this." Sky admitted.

"Hmmm... Looking at the two of you I think Amy might actually be more built for this." Cameron said.

"Thank you, I'm glad _some people_ understand my talent." Amy said.

"Axes are a survival implement I know how to use." Shawn argued.

"Okay, fine you have that." Amy admitted.

"On second thought, I change my vote to Shawn." Cameron decided.

"Yeah, me too." Sky added.

"Ugh, fine." Amy said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I still felt like I hadn't been a good leader." Shawn said. "But doing that axe fight was a good way to prove myself."

* * *

Meanwhile, over with the Actors, they were in the middle of the same conversation.

"C'mon DJ, we need you to go out there." Sierra told him.

"Do I have to? Can't there be anyone else?" DJ asked.

"DJ, buddy, as much as I'd love to do this, you're probably our best bet to win." Topher encouraged him.

"Really?" DJ replied.

"Do I gotta point out how muscular you are again?" Anne Maria remarked.

"All right, that's fair." DJ admitted. "But are you guys _really_ sure?"

"Of course." Dave replied. "Y'know, mostly."

"Look at it like this." Scott began. "The other guys already used their strongest guy. Meanwhile, we saved you for last. It's gonna be easy.

"Huh, when you put it like that it _does_ sound easy." DJ admitted. "Okay, I'll do it."

"That's the spirit." Topher told him. "So go out there and get us a win!"

"All right, I will!" DJ cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"Man, Topher's surprisingly good at being motivating." DJ admitted.

* * *

DJ and Shawn walked to the middle of the arena where Chris was already waiting.

"All right, so what're we doing this time?" DJ asked.

"Axe fighting!" Chris announced.

"Sounds great." Shawn said.

"Doesn't that sound kinda similar to sword fighting?" DJ pointed out.

"Ugh, don't you start too." Chris told him. "Look, let's just start the challenge."

"Where are the axes?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, right." Chris said.

Chris snapped his fingers which caused DJ and Shawn to be engulfed in pink smoke. After the smoke cleared the both of them were holding steel battleaxes.

"That was weird." DJ remarked.

"Indeed it was." Chris told him. "Now it's time to fight!"

"What, like, right now?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, more or less." Chris said.

"Well, now I feel like the moment went by." DJ remarked.

"Tell you what, I'll count down to one then you fight." Chris told them. "Ready? Three... Two... One... Fight!"

Chris scurried away from the area to avoid the impending battle. Shawn began to run at DJ who's initial instinct was to hold up his axe in defense.

"Ah! Please don't hurt me!" DJ exclaimed in fear.

"I'll try!" Shawn replied as he lifted his axe above his head.

Shawn swung his door down but DJ shuffled backwards away so that his axe went into the ground.

"Take it easy!" DJ exclaimed

"Don't worry, none of this is real." Shawn told him as he lifted the axe again.

"Sure seems real." DJ said.

"Attack him!" Anne Maria shouted at him from the sidelines. "Whatta ya waitin' for!"

"Uh, yeah, c'mon, get him!" Topher added.

"Okay! Okay! I'm trying." DJ replied.

DJ and Shawn ran at each other, axes raised. Once they reached a middle ground area they swung down their axes at roughly the same time. The blades ground agaist each other but DJ began to overpower Shawn.

"Hey, I'm doing it." DJ said.

"This might be tougher than I thought..." Shawn muttered.

With one more hard push, Shawn was knocked down and lost grip of his axe. The weapon did a few spins in the air and landed in the dirt just inches from Shawn's head.

"That was a close call..." Shawn remarked as he eyed the axe.

DJ swung at the ground but was unable to hit as Shawn rolled out of the way and grabbed his weapon out of the ground. Shawn stood to his full height and took a brief moment to catch his breath.

"You okay?" DJ asked, sounding legitimately concerned.

"I'm fine." Shawn replied. "And I won't be going down that easily."

"Aw... Okay, I was hopin' it'd be easy. I'm still gonna try not to hurt you." DJ told him.

"Well, that's very nice." Shawn remarked. "I'll try not to hurt you either."

"What are you waiting for!? Fight!" Amy shouted from the sides.

Shawn immediately charged at DJ with his axe raised.

"Ah! Not again!" DJ exclaimed as he shut his eyes as hard as he could.

"Ugh, don't just stand there, get out of the way!" Scott yelled over to him.

"Oh, okay." DJ replied.

DJ jumped to the side just as Shawn made it over causing Shawn to slow down a little.

"Okay, well played." Shawn said.

"Thanks." DJ said. "By the way I just- Attack!"

DJ suddenly swung the blade of his axe down at Shawn who jolted in surprise.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I don't like fighting dirty." DJ said. "I don't like fighting at all actually. But with winning on the line, desperate times call for desperate measures."

* * *

DJ's axe went down and missed Shawn by inches instead planting itself firmly in the dirt right next to him.

"What the..." Shawn trailed off, realizing he hadn't just been split in half.

"No! This is not good!" DJ panicked as he pulled at his axe to get it out of the ground.

"Sorry DJ, but I gotta take this opportunity." Shawn said.

Shawn quickly ran over to DJ's back and kicked him in the underside of one of he knees. DJ let out a small yelp as he fell over forward and landed right next to his own axe.

"Ah... Dang it..." DJ mumbled as he rolled over.

Shawn quickly put his foot down on DJ's chest and pointed the axe blade at him.

"I'm pretty sure this is what Scott did when he won." Shawn remarked. "So I think it means I win."

"Indeed you do!" Chris announced from out of view.

Chris ran over to the two contestants.

"That means the Demented Directors win the challenge!" Chris cheered. "Isn't that great?"

"Aw man... So are we done?" DJ asked.

The three of them started to glow with a white light.

"Looks like it." Chris said.

The light flashed and all the contestants disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Yep, winning back there sure felt good." Shawn told the camera. "And _maybe_ next time we'll get to do a zombie challenge."

* * *

Back in the real world, Chris and the teams were taken out of the simulation when the visors on their helmets went up.

"So, I hope y'all liked the challenge." Chef remarked as he looked over the teams.

"Yeah I did, jousting was awesome." Lightning remarked. "It's Lightning's new favourite sport."

"Easy for you to say: You won." Dave told him.

"Indeed he did." Chris remarked as he stood up from his chair. "The Directors win against the Actors for the second time in a row."

"We'll get 'em next time guys." Topher tried to motivate his teammates. "Y'know, probably."

"Did you have to add that second part?" DJ asked.

"You all know the drill, it's time for some partially edible lunch." Chris told them.

"I can hardly wait." Scott sarcastically said.

The scene changed over to the contestants in the mess hall a little while later eating some kind of soup. The camera focused on the Directors.

"What do you think in this stuff? I detect a kinda earthy taste." Cameron said.

"Knowing Chef, it's probably _actual dirt_." Gwen replied.

"Please don't put that image in my brain." Cameron remarked.

"Oh, sorry." Gwen said.

"Hey, Sky, can I talk with you for a second?" Amy asked.

"We're doing this again?" Sky replied, sounding annoyed.

"I'll just be a moment, promise." Amy told her.

"All right, fine." Sky said.

The two of them stood up and walked away from the table.

"Okay, seriously, those two are in some kind of secret alliance, right?" Gwen asked. "What do you think, Cam?"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Cameron asked. "All I can think of is Chef putting clumps of dirt into our food."

"Heh, sorry again." Gwen apologized before taking a bite of her soup.

A grossed out expression crossed Gwen's face as she swallowed her food.

"Y'know what, that's all I can think of too." Gwen realized.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm going on a walk." Shawn decided. "I just realized that I haven't zombie-proofed this place yet."

Shawn quickly stood up and began to walk away.

"Man, that guy's a weird dude." Lightning remarked. "I'm gonna go follow him."

A little while later, Lightning was walking outside near the two trailers when he saw Shawn up in a tree.

"Hmm... Good hiding spot..." Shawn quietly mumbled, unaware of Lightning. "Gonna have to remember this."

"Yo! Shawn!" Lightning shouted out to him.

"Gah!" Shawn exclaimed in shock.

Shawn lost his grip and fell into a nearby garbage pail.

"Ugh... Dammit..." Shawn muttered.

"Sorry dude." Lightning said as he extended a hand to help. "Lemme get'cha out."

Lightning pulled Shawn out of the garbage can.

"So Shawn, main reason I followed you out here is 'cause I wanted to know whether or not ya wanted to be in an alliance." Lightning explained. "Sounds pretty sweet, right?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, we're in an alliance." Shawn said as he wiped garbage off himself, clearly only half paying attention. "Can you please leave me alone now?"

"Sure thing Shawn!" Lightning cheered. "Glad ya said yes!"

Shawn stared as Lightning jogged off.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Did I just agree to an alliance with _Lightning_? I really only said it so he'd leave me alone." Shawn said. "Oh, well, at least I have an alliance that can get me closer my dream of finishing my zombie-proof bunker."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the boys' cabin, Dave was sitting on one of the beds by himself.

"Ugh, I still can't get the taste of that soup out of my mouth." Dave complained. "Thank god I left early, I don't think I could've sat through much more of that."

The door to the cabin creaked open and Scott stepped through.

"Hey there Dave." Scott greeted. "How're you doing? So, about your idol."

"Scott, we both know why you're here. So just get to the point." Dave told him.

"If you insist." Scott replied. "Dave, listen, you and me both know you won't last long without an ally. But if we work together, we can last a lot longer."

Dave stayed silent for almost a full minute as Scott patiently waited for a response. Dave then sighed a bit.

"Fine, I'm in." Dave told him.

"You've made the right choice." Scott told him. "Now, let's talk strategy."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"So... Dave's on _my_ side now." Scott remarked. "And the first thing I want him to do is to target DJ. Topher would be ideal, but I don't know how many other people are gonna vote for him. But with DJ having lost the challenge, I think people voting for him seems more likely."

* * *

Meanwhile, behind the mess hall, Amy and Sky had just started a conversation.

"Why are you taking me out here. We won, remember." Sky reminded Amy.

"Oh, I know, I just wanted to check if your opinion changed yet." Amy explained. "Speaking of which, did it? You can't keep winning forever. In fact _you_ didn't even win today."

"I guess you have a point..." Sky admitted.

"And, y'know, you need to have an alliance with someone, right?" Amy asked. "So why not me. If we work together, then we'll be unstoppable."

"Fine, I'm in." Sky told her.

"Excellent." Amy remarked. "Next time we lose, we can talk strategy."

"Yeah, sure." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm not totally sure about this alliance yet." Sky admitted. "But... I'm sure it won't be that bad, right? I mean, an ally's an ally."

* * *

The scene shifted to later with the two teams gathered in the stage in the bleachers. The Actors were seated in the lower half and the Directors were up in the higher half. Chris got up on stage and approached the podium.

"All right! How are you lovely people doing tonight!" Chris cheered. "Ready to do some voting?"

"Hey, are you ever going to explain why we're here?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that too." Shawn admitted.

"I'll get to it after the elimination part of the day." Chris explained. "So shut up and be patient. But the Actors, they can go on down to the makeup room confessional and vote. Sounds fun doesn't it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll get it over with." Anne Maria said.

"I think using markers is kinda fun." Sierra admitted.

"Just vote, okay." Chris told them.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ held a crossed out photo of Topher to the camera.

"I told ya Topher, I didn't wanna fight." DJ said. "If we had someone else in charge, we'd have won."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photograph of DJ.

"Nothing personal, buddy. I just feel like our team would perform slightly better if we didn't have you around." Scott explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave put an X over a picture of DJ.

"Sorry DJ, I'm sure you're a nice guy." Dave apologized. "But if this gets me on good standings with Scott, I'm all for it."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher scribbled an X over one of Scott's photos and showed it to the camera.

"Scott, based on some of your history, I don't find you that trustworthy." Topher admitted. "In fact, there's a tiny voice in the back of my head that keeps saying 'Topher, Scott's totally planning to take over as leader'."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra drew an X over a picture of Topher and held it up to the camera.

"Yeah, I did kinda lose a point. But, I feel like Topher being our leader thing is going to go bust sooner or later." Sierra explained. "So, like, sorry Topher. It's either you or me I guess."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I ain't too sure who I'm gonna choose." Anne Maria admitted. "Sierra and DJ, they messed up the challenge. Especially DJ on that axe thing. But on the other hand, Topher was s'posed to be our leader and it didn't really feel like he did much of it. So... I'm gonna have to take a few more minutes to decide."

* * *

The scene changed to Chris getting back up on stage carrying a plate of Gilded Chris Awards.

"Okay, I just read through the votes so you know what that means." Chris said. "Anne Maria, Sierra, Dave, you're all safe."

Chris tossed three awards to the mentioned contestants.

"Scott, Topher, DJ, I'm going to hand out one more award now, all right." Chris told him. "It goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Scott!"

Scott caught the Gilded Chris Award thrown at him.

"Knew I was safe." Scott confidently said.

"DJ, Topher, one of you gets to stay here and the other one gets to walk the red carpet of shame and never come back." Chris explained. "And the final award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Topher!"

Chris threw the final award at Topher.

"Phew, that sure was close." Topher remarked. "Sorry that you have to leave, DJ."

"It's okay. All that matters is that I tried my hardest." DJ remarked. "Besides, now I got all kinda of stories I can tell my momma."

"Aw isn't that sweet." Chris sarcastically said. "Now get out of here, there's a limousine waiting for you."

"Oh, right." DJ said. "Well, bye team, it's been good."

DJ got up from his seat and walked away from them.

"Hey, shouldn't the camera guy be following him?" Shawn asked.

"Nope." Chris replied. "Because you see, the reason I got both teams to come here... Is for a team switch!"

"Wait, what? Who's switching?" Cameron asked.

"Sierra and Gwen, both of you get a change of scenery because you'll be switching teams." Chris explained.

"Why are we switching?" Gwen asked. "I like it on my time."

"Yeah, me too." Sierra added.

"Because it changes things up." Chris explained. "So remember, in the morning don't go have breakfast with your regular team you two."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"I'm not a fan of this switch. Personally, I thought me and Gwen were friends a little." Cameron admitted. "But what I'm _really_ worried about is Sierra going crazy over me again like in All-Stars."

* * *

The camera zoomed in on Chris up at the podium.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen." Chris remarked. "Our teams have been switched and eleven contestants remain. How will these things affect the rest of the gameplay? Find out next time when you watch, Total. Drama. Champions!"

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** Scott, Gwen, Anne Maria, Topher, and Dave

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

 **Votes:**

DJ: Topher

Scott: DJ

Anne Maria: DJ

Topher: Scott

Dave: DJ

Sierra: Topher

 **Results:**

DJ: 3 Votes

Topher: 2 Votes

Scott: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And another chapter done. Fun fact, a lot of this chapter was inspired by the fact that recently I saw the film "A Knight's Tale". It was a pretty good movie actually. Dragged on a bit in the third act but other than that I enjoyed the film. But anyway, that's not important now. By the way, if you're wondering why I eliminated DJ,** **I was debating between him and Topher but in the end, I just thought Topher can use a little more time. But anyway, that about does it for the chapter. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading.**


	9. Heist, Heist, Baby

**And this story is back a day ahead of schedule. I thought for sure it'd be up much later. I'm also planning to update Strange People soon too. Possibly today but if not definitely tomorrow. Looks like my vacation didn't impact my schedule at all. Speaking of that vacation, I'm back from it now. So maybe things will be updated even faster. One quick notice before I continue, I made a pretty big retoractive edit to the previous chapter. It's on the scene where Lightning asks Shawn if he wants to be an alliance. So for certain things to make sense you might wanna go back and read it. But anyway, let me respond to your reviews real quick:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you. Again, I know it's your usual response, but I appreciate it.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Yeah, I'll miss DJ too. I like him as a character but couldn't think of much for him to do.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** As usual, I enjoy your themed wordplay. Also, yes, I will acknowledge that A Knight's Tale isn't exactly relevant any more. I'm going to try and pick more popular movies to base challenges off of from now on.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you.

 **And that's it for the opening notes. Now on to the actual chapter.**

* * *

"Previously, on Total Drama Champions. We sent our contestants back in time to the middle ages where they fought it out with swords, lances, and axes. Ah, the good old days indeed. In the end, it was the Directors that took home the victory and sent the Actors to the chopping block. And after the challenge, well, a lot of stuff happened. Amy and Sky became an alliance as did Scott and Dave. Oh, and Lightning proposed an alliance with Shawn. And what's even more crazy is that Shawn said yes. And at the elimination ceremony, we ended up saying goodbye to DJ. But right after that, I threw in a curveball by making Gwen and Sierra switch teams. How is that going to affect gameplay? Good question. Stick around and find out on Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

The camera faded in on the mess hall from outside. Inside the cafeteria, both teams had gone off to separate tables yet again and were eating bread covered in some sort of spread. The camera zoomed in on the Actors.

"So, Gwen, how's your first day on the team so far?" Topher asked. "You liking it."

"Uh, doesn't feel that different yet." Gwen admitted.

Gwen looked around at her teammates.

"I feel like my old team had a bit more of an advantage though." Gwen realized. "No offence."

"None taken, I totally seen what ya mean." Anne Maria said.

"Well, I'm sure our luck will get better from here." Topher optimistically remarked.

"Didn't we _lose_ the last two challenges?" Dave pointed out.

"We can't start winning if this negative talk keeps up." Topher told him. "So perk up."

"Easier said than done, pal." Scott told him.

"Yeah, plus we have the disadvantage of being outnumbered." Dave added.

"Uh huh, and like Gwen here said, the other team has got all the talented people." Anne Maria said.

"Why does nobody want to be positive?" Topher asked.

"I'll try being positive." Gwen said. "I feel like that might even help our chances a little bit."

"Thank you, finally. Someone who gets it." Topher remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I've got a good feeling about Gwen." Topher admitted. "I feel like she's what we need to turn our losing streak around."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Not sure how I feel about this new team yet." Gwen said. "It's fine I guess… I just need some more time getting used to it."

* * *

The camera panned over to the Directors eating their breakfast.

"Hey, Sierra, what'cha think of our team so far?" Lightning asked.

"I like the change of scenery." Sierra admitted. "But I will miss my old teammates. Still, it's nice to get to know you guys."

"Well, that's nice to hear." Sky remarked.

"You guys think you'll keep up the winning streak?" Sierra wondered.

"Hard to tell." Shawn admitted. "We're only one victory ahead of the other guys actually. So it could be anyone's game."

"Pfft, no way. _We're_ totally the winners from now on." Amy stated.

"Your overconfidence is appreciated… I guess." Cameron said.

"Oh, do me a favour and shut up." Amy told him.

"C'mon guys, let's try to make stuff welcoming for the new girl." Lightning said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Amy replied.

"It's super cool to be here." Sierra said. "What do you guys think the next challenge will be."

"It _has_ to be a zombie movie challenge." Shawn stated. "He's gotta use it at some point, right?"

"As long as you're on the team, Shawn, I don't think he's gonna go for it." Sky told him.

"I just really want an excuse to use my survival skills." Shawn admitted. "Is that too much to ask for."

"I'm sure you can find a way to use it on non-zombies." Sierra suggested.

"Huh, I never thought about that." Shawn said.

"Oh hey, Sky, can we talk?" Amy spoke up.

"Again, really?" Sky asked. "All right, let's go."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Sky and I are in an alliance right now. Yep, I'm basically in charge of this team." Amy bragged.

* * *

Amy and Sky got up and began to approach the doors of the mess hall. But before they could make it through the doors, they heard a small rumbling noise coming from nearby which caused them to stop.

"Uh, what's that?" Sky asked.

A section of the wall next to the doors fell over forwards and kicked up dust upon hitting the ground. Once the dust had cleared, Chef and Chris in a golf cart became visible on the other side.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Amy shouted.

"Seriously Chef, you were supposed to drive through the doors." Chris remarked.

"Hey, you try drivin' this thing." Chef said.

"Did the PA system break again?" Gwen asked from over at her table.

"Yeah, pretty much." Chris admitted. "Anyway, I came here to announce that it's time for today's challenge."

"Could you have done that without destroying the wall?" Scott asked.

"Hey, I was aiming for the doors." Chris told him. "But Chef here rammed right into the wall."

"C'mon man, it ain't like you ever drive this thing yourself." Chef said.

"You know what, we can talk about this later." Chris stated before turning to the two teams. "Um, anyhow, you know the drill. Come meet me and Chef over at the usual warehouse for another challenge of virtual terror."

"Quick question, is it going to be a zombie-themed challenge?" Shawn asked.

"I can neither confirm nor deny this." Chris said.

"So the answer's yes?" Shawn asked, not entirely sure.

"You'll have to find out." Chris told him. "Now if you please, head on over to the warehouse."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I'm trying my hardest not to sound like a crazy person here." Shawn stated. "But I just really want a chance to kill some zombies. Is that too much to ask?"

* * *

The scene faded to later in the day with both teams arriving at the warehouse full of virtual reality equipment where Chris and Chef were already waiting.

"And welcome. Looks like our amazing golf cart beat you guys here this time." Chris said.

"Hey, just curious, why does the PA system keep breaking?" Dave asked.

"It's an old building, all right." Chris replied. "Now does anyone else have any irrelevant questions?"

There was a silence from the two teams.

"Great, now it's time to explain the challenge." Chris said.

"Aw yeah, I bet it's gonna be awesome." Lightning said.

"Could you _not_ interrupt me?" Chris asked.

"Oh, sorry." Lightning replied.

"Anyway, this challenge is based on the heist movie genre." Chris explained.

"Didn't you do that back in the original Total Drama Action?" Topher pointed out.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Chris stated. "So anyway, one team will be playing a group of thieves and the other will be a group of cops. The thieves' goal is to rob a bank and then make it back to their hideout. Cops' goal is to stop the thieves. Sounds simple, but of course heists never are."

"Ooh, that'd be a great movie tagline." Sierra realized.

"Indeed it would be." Chris agreed. "Now, since the Directors won the last challenge they get to decide if they wanna be the cops or the thieves."

"Give us a moment please." Shawn said. "We're going to have a little sidebar."

The members of the Directors grouped up together.

"I say we go for being the heisting team because that sounds way more exciting." Amy suggested.

"Yeah, but I feel like being the cop team would be easier." Sky argued.

"Uh huh, Sky has a point." Shawn agreed. "The police team sounds like they'd have the easier job."

"I'm with Amy on this one." Lightning said. "I saw Ocean's Eleven, that stuff they did was _awesome_."

"Yeah, I think being the heist team would be super cool." Sierra agreed.

"I guess we'll be the heisting team then." Cameron remarked.

"Looks like it." Shawn said.

The Directors went back over to Chris and Chef.

"Okay, we've decided that we want to be the team that pulls off the heist." Shawn explained.

"Very well." Chris said. "The Directors will be playing the part of the heist group and the Actors will be the police squad. Sound fun?"

"Um, I guess so." Dave replied.

"Great, let's get things started in that case." Chris said. "Please take a seat and we'll fire up the machine."

The contestants followed orders and sat down at the various chairs lining the room.

"All right, Chef, start it up if you would." Chris said.

"Uh huh, I know what to do by now." Chef replied.

Chef pressed several buttons on the machine and then pushed one lever down.

"Enjoy the ride." Chef told them.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I was actually pretty excited 'bout the challenge." Anne Maria admitted. "I got a cousin who's really into action flicks so I figured it was gonna be pretty sweet to be a cop. Even if I was only a pretend one."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the Actors found themselves inside the front entrance of a police station. All members of the team were wearing blue police uniform.

"Oh man, where are we?" Scott asked.

"Well, it's pretty obvious that we're in a station." Gwen told him.

"Yeah, I can see that now that I've got a better look." Scott said.

"So, uh, what're we s'posed to do now?" Dave asked. "Because we don't exactly know where the other team is, right?"

"I say we go out and try and find 'em before the heist starts." Anne Maria suggested.

"That's kinda risky, isn't it?" Topher asked. "We could end up going _away_ from wherever they're going to rob by accident."

"Hmm… Didn't think 'bout that." Anne Maria admitted. "Let's check out a map or somethin'. There's gotta be one around here."

"How do you know?" Scott asked.

"I've seen cop movies, there's usually a map of the city somewhere." Anne Maria said. "Now c'mon, let's go find one."

"Now hold on, why are you in charge of this operation all of a sudden?" Topher asked.

"Do you got a better idea?" Anne Maria replied.

"Uh, well, no, I guess I don't." Topher admitted.

"Then follow me." Anne Maria said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I wasn't a fan of how Anne Maria took over for me back there." Topher stated. "I appointed myself leader fair and square."

* * *

Meanwhile, over in the interior of what looked like a very dark warehouse, the Directors had just become conscious of where they were and were getting their bearings.

"Okay, what kinda crazy place is this?" Sky wondered out loud as she looked around.

"You think there are any lights?" Cameron asked. "It's very dark in here."

"It is? My eyes are pretty attuned to the dark so I couldn't tell." Shawn remarked.

"Okay, Mr. Humble-Brag, we get it, you're awesome." Amy sarcastically said. "But would you please help us find some lighting?"

"Lightning found the lighting!" Lightning announced.

Lightning flicked a switch on the wall near him causing several large lamps on the ceiling to illuminate. Inside the room were several tables covered with maps and papers with various words, symbols, and arrows drawn on them.

"I've never seen what plans for a heist look like, but those are probably plans for a heist." Shawn remarked.

"Well, let's get a closer look at them." Sky suggested.

The team gathered around one of the tables. Lightning immediately picked up a large map and looked it over.

"Yo, I think I found something." Lightning remarked.

"How can you tell?" Cameron asked.

"Well, this bank is circled in red marker." Lightning explained as he pointed to a spot on the map marked 'Rob this bank' in big red letters. "It's also got those words on it."

"Okay, that does seem to be the most obvious conclusion." Cameron admitted. "But how are we supposed to get there?"

"Well, this is a heist movie." Amy remarked. "I'm sure we've got a big van parked somewhere nearby."

"In that case, let's go look." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Still not one hundred percent on my alliance with Amy." Sky admitted. "But, y'know, that advice about the car was actually pretty helpful."

* * *

Back at the police station, the members of the Actors were clustered around a large map of a cityscape hanging from the wall.

"Hmm… So which of these banks do you think they'll rob?" Topher asked.

"There are a lot of them." Gwen added.

"Could be this one in the middle of town." Dave suggested as he pointed to a bank at the dead centre of the map.

"Why there?" Topher asked.

"Yeah, right at the centre of town seems like a horrible bank to rob." Scott agreed. "I'd go for somewhere more low profile."

"Yeah, but that wouldn't make for an interesting movie." Dave pointed out.

"Yeah, Dave's right." Anne Maria agreed. "If we're goin' with what makes a good movie, I'd say that bank makes a lotta sense."

"All right, I think I'm with you on this." Gwen admitted. "Let's go for it."

"As our team leader, I also approve of this." Topher added. "C'mon, let's get to our cop cars."

"Do we have those?" Dave asked.

"It's a police station. I'm pretty sure we have cars." Scott pointed out.

"Oh, right." Dave said. "Let's go I guess."

The team exited through the station's front entrance and went down a short flight of stairs. Parked on the curb outside the police station was a cop car.

"Is there enough room in there?" Gwen wondered.

"Yeah, three in the back, two in the front." Anne Maria explained.

"Isn't the back where the criminals are supposed to sit?" Dave asked.

"We're stopping a robbery, it doesn't matter." Scott told him.

"Uh huh, now c'mon people, let's go." Anne Maria said. "We gotta get there before they get there."

"What?" Gwen asked.

"It sounded less confusing in my head." Anne Maria admitted.

"Just get in the car." Scott told his teammates.

"As leader, I also want you to get in the car." Topher piped up.

"Oh, shut up." Scott told him.

"Fine, but I call driving." Topher stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I kinda felt bad 'bout takin' over the challenge for Topher." Anne Maria admitted. "But hey, he's kinda bad at his job. So somebody's gotta do it. And I figured, why not me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the warehouse that the Directors had made their plans in, the team had just come up to a black van parked outside.

"Huh, you were right about the van." Sky remarked. "I don't believe it."

"Yep, I sure was." Amy bragged.

"Well, c'mon, let's use the van and get outta here." Lightning said.

"Yeah, we'll wanna rob the bank and get out as soon as possible." Shawn added.

"Hey, who should drive?" Sierra asked.

"Well, I've got some pretty good driving skills." Shawn stated. "Y'know, in case of the apocalypse."

"Good enough for me." Cameron said.

"Yeah, I think you should drive, Shawn." Sky agreed.

"Fine with me, but I call shotgun." Lightning spoke up.

"Hold on, before we leave don't we need... I dunno, robbery supplies or something?" Sky asked.

"What would robbery supplies even be?" Cameron asked.

"I dunno. Guns? Dynamite?" Sky suggested.

"Okay, we'll go check for supplies then get out of here." Shawn said.

"Ugh, fine. But I'm going to wait in the car." Amy stated.

"Oh, me too." Sierra added. "That way we can keep each other company."

"I changed my mind, I'll help you find heist supplies." Amy decided.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"So, I like my new team so far... Not so much Amy, I don't know what's up for her." Sierra remarked. "But other than her I think I like my team."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the cop car that the Actors were in, Topher drove and Scott sat in the passenger seat with the other three in the back.

"Okay, so where am I going?" Topher asked. "Because I can't remember what that map said."

"I'll check the glove compartment." Scott said.

Scott opened up the glove compartment and took out a map.

"Okay... Let's see... Okay, we're going the right way." Scott told Topher. "Be sure to take this next left up ahead."

"All right, thanks." Topher said.

"Y'know, I'm starting to get a little skeptical that this is the right place." Scott admitted.

"What makes you say that?" Topher asked.

"Well, it's the most obvious place to rob. I feel like it's a misdirect type of thing." Scott explained.

Scott heard a tapping on the divider between the front and back seat. He looked back and saw that Anne Maria was the source of the tapping.

"Hey, we already went over this. In heist flicks, the coolest place to rob is always the place that gets hit." Anne Maria told him.

"Just because you keep saying something doesn't mean it's true." Scott replied.

"Can we all stop arguing, please?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, I agree with Gwen." Topher spoke up.

"All right, we'll be quiet." Anne Maria said.

"Fine." Scott said. "But if this ends up being the wrong bank, I'm going to be very mad, all right."

"Sure, whatever, but I'm totally gonna be right." Anne Maria said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Anne Maria)**

"I might've gotten just a _little_ cocky back there." Anne Maria admitted. "But only a _little_."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors drove through the streets inside their van with Shawn and Lightning in front and the rest in the back of the van that was also filled with several machine guns.

"Okay, we're gettin' closer." Lightning told Shawn.

"Great." Shawn said. "I wanna make this challenge fast."

"Hey, uh, what's exactly the plan for when we get in there?" Cameron asked from the back.

"Run in, threaten people, take money, leave." Shawn listed. "I've never done this, but y'know, it seems pretty self explanatory."

"All right, I'm just worried something might go wrong." Cameron said.

"Things always do in these types of movies." Sky agreed.

"Hooray for optimism guys." Amy sarcastically said.

"I think things are gonna go pretty well." Sierra remarked. "There's no way the other team knows where we are yet, right?"

"I dunno, Chris couldn've given them away to know." Sky predicted.

"Or they could just be real good at guessing." Lightning said.

"There's a whole bunch of banks in whatever city this is." Shawn argued. "The chances of them going to the one we're robbing seems pretty low to me."

"Don't you know anything about movies? The more confident you are in something, the less likely it is to happen." Amy told him.

"Well this isn't a movie, it's a video game. Or something." Shawn said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like my team respects me more ever since we won that last challenge." Shawn stated. "Amy still doesn't but that doesn't really surprise me."

* * *

Back with the Actors, their car slowly approached the bank they had chosen as the possible destination for the heist.

"I still say we're wrong about this." Scott stated.

"You saying it a million times won't make us listen more." Topher told him.

"Let's just stop talking and go." Dave told his teammates.

"Good idea." Gwen agreed.

Topher brought the car to a stop which was quickly followed by all five teammates getting out of the car.

"So, uh, what do we do once we're inside?" Gwen asked.

"We tell them that we think there's going to be a robbery and then stand guard 'til the other team gets here." Topher explained.

"Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea." Dave agreed.

"Sure, why not, I'll go with it." Anne Maria said.

The Actors entered the moderately busy bank.

"Ah jeez, there are lines everywhere. What do we do?" Dave asked.

"We're cops, let's just tell them that." Scott suggested.

"Right, let's do this. But try to act calm and subtle." Topher told the others. "Don't wanna freak anyone out."

"Right." Dave said.

Anne Maria grabbed the badge out of her pocket. She held the badge above her head.

"Okay people, outta the way! Police business, we need to talk to the teller!" Anne Maria shouted out.

The bank's patrons looked over at the Actors and uncertainly shuffled around in line.

"Jesus Christ Anne, what did we just say?" Scott asked.

"Huh? Oh, I didn't hear you." Anne Maria said.

"Now hold up, what's going on here?" One of the bank patrons asked.

"Uh, well sir, we have reason to believe that this bank is going to be robbed." Topher explained.

"What?!" Another panicked patron exclaimed.

"Uh, calm down, ma'am." Dave told her.

"Look, everyone, all of you need to leave the bank so that nobody gets hurt." Scott explained. "It's for your own safety."

"So if everyone could leave in a calm and orderly fashion that would be lovely." Topher explained.

Almost as soon as Topher finished his sentence the customers of the bank began to flee the establishment as quickly as they could.

"What did I just say!?" Topher shouted as customers barrelled past him.

Once the patrons were gone all that was left were several confused bank tellers and security guards.

"Uh, hi." Gwen greeted. "Can we use get to the back of the bank?"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Okay, so it didn't work as smoothly as I thought but overall, my plan to get into the bank went great." Topher said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were still driving their van through the woods.

"Okay, run me through the plan one more time." Sierra requested.

"Well, it's pretty simple." Shawn stated. "Me, Lightning and Sky will clear out the teller's drawers while you, Amy, and Cameron take care of the vault. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, okay. I think we can handle that." Sierra said.

"Hey, so, when are we gonna get to the bank?" Sky asked.

"I dunno, Lightning has the map." Shawn replied.

"Accordin' to the map, we should be there in like, five seconds." Lightning said.

"Wait, really?" Sky asked.

Shawn looked out the window.

"Oh yeah, there it is." Shawn realized.

Shawn pulled up to the curb and brought the car to a stop.

"Oh no, guys, there's a cop car here." Amy noticed the other team's car parked outside. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Maybe they aren't in the bank?" Sierra suggested.

"Look, I'm sure we can handle whatever's in the bank." Shawn insisted. "Now c'mon, let's get in there."

The Directors grabbed their weapons from out of the van and quickly made an exit.

"This feels kinda wrong." Sky remarked. "I mean, we aren't _actually_ robbing a bank but it's still kinda just... Wrong."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Cameron agreed.

"True, but we still have to complete the challenge." Shawn said.

"Sha-woo, let's get in there!" Lightning cheered.

Lightning began up the stairs to the bank. The others quickly followed and then soon found themselves bursting through the doors.

"All right everyone, we're robbing this bank!" Amy announced.

The tellers and security guards all put their hands up in surrender.

"Ah jeez, it's really empty in here." Sky realized.

"No time to think about that." Shawn said. "We need to hurry. C'mon, let's split off."

"Right, right, we'll get the vault." Amy said.

The team walked past two frightened security guards and into the back area of the bank.

"All right, remember, we'll take care of the money the tellers have and you guys take care of the vault." Shawn told Amy, Sierra, and Cameron.

"Oh, okay." Cameron replied. "Let's go I guess."

"We'll get one of the tellers to open it for you." Lightning said.

Lightning looked over at a woman over at her desk trying her best not to panic.

"Hey, lady, do ya mind helpin' my friends out?" Lightning asked.

"Uh, yes sir." The teller nervously replied as she approached the team.

Amy, Sierra, Cameron, and the teller went off in the direction they assumed the vault was.

"So what do you guys think a vault looks like?" Sierra wondered.

"I dunno, big round door with a wheel in the middle." Amy guessed.

"That's pretty much right." The teller admitted.

The group walked for a short while more until coming across a door that fit the exact description Amy had said.

"See, just like she said." The teller said.

"Just open the door please." Sierra requested.

"We're very sorry about this whole ordeal." Cameron apologized.

"Um, okay." The teller remarked.

The teller grabbed the wheel on the vault door and unlocked it.

"I'll let you open the door if you'd like." The teller said.

"Yeah, you're done, lady." Amy told her. "Go run off."

The teller nodded and quickly ran away from the area.

"All right, let's go clear the vault before the other team finds us." Amy told her teammates.

"Right." Sierra replied.

Amy pushed the door open and the other side stood all five of the members of the other team with their guns pointed at the three Directors.

"What the hell!?" Amy exclaimed.

"Ha! I knew I was right!" Anne Maria cheered.

"Uh, hi." Topher greeted the three Directors. "Would you mind making this easy for us and surrendering right now?"

"Oh hell no." Amy told her.

"Well... We've kinda got you outnumbered here." Scott pointed out.

"Guys, I think we should run." Cameron suggested.

"Yeah, I agree." Sierra added.

Sierra and Cameron dashed away from the vault, leaving Amy behind.

"Don't leave me here you idiots!" Amy shouted as she turned around to follow her teammates.

Amy ran off after them and left the Actors behind.

"Uh... We should follow them, right?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, definitely." Topher replied.

"Come on team, move out!" Dave announced.

"Why is everyone stealing my lines today!?" Topher yelled. "Ugh, whatever, move out!"

The five of them ran after the other team.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"How!? How did they know?!" Amy shouted. "Ugh, life is so unfair."

* * *

Meanwhile, back by the tellers, the other three members of the Directors were busy emptying money held by the teller's into their pockets and bag they brought with them in the van.

"All right, we should be out soon." Shawn remarked.

"Yeah! And that dummy other team doesn't even know we're here." Lightning added.

"How long 'til you think they'll get back?" Sky asked.

"Who knows. It probably takes a while to clear out the vault." Shawn replied.

Amy, Sierra, and Camron ran back to the other three with looks of panic on their faces.

"Oh hey, that sure was fast." Lightning remarked.

"No time to talk!" Cameron shouted.

"The other team was waiting for us in the vault!" Sierra quickly explained.

"Wait, are you serious?" Sky asked.

"Of course we're serious!" Amy replied. "Why would we make something like that up?"

"Okay, let's just take what we have and run." Shawn decided. "C'mon, everyone out."

The Directors ran away from the tellers and towards the exit just as the Actors made it over there.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Gwen shouted as she pointed her gun at them.

"What's the point, they know you're not gonna fire." Dave said.

"Wait, you're not?" Scott asked.

"It's just like in the Die Hard challenge, it feels really weird to be pointing a gun at someone you know. Even if it isn't a real one." Dave explained.

"Well, how about you just aim for Sky then." Scott told him.

"Guys, we can argue later, they're getting away!" Anne Maria shouted.

The other teammates looked up and saw that the other team had just left the bank. With that, the scurried outside just in time to see the other competitors pile into their van and begin to drive away.

"Okay, get in the car!" Scott yelled. "We can run them off the road."

"Oh come on, I was just about to say the same thing!" Topher shouted.

"Hey, Topher, what'd I say 'bout arguin' later?" Anne Maria said.

"Right, right, sorry." Topher apologized. "Let's just all get in the car."

By this point, the Directors' van had sped away so the actors jumped into their car and sped off in the same direction.

"We can still catch up, right?" Dave hopefully asked.

"Uh, yes, probably." Topher replied from the drivers seat.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I think the main problem with me not being leader, is that our current leader is too optimistic." Scott stated. "What we need is some cold hard realism."

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the downtown streets, the Directors were in their van, fleeing as quickly as they could.

"So how much money did we get?" Sierra asked.

"It doesn't matter, it's not real anyway." Sky pointed out.

"Indeed, all that we need to worry about is getting back to our hideout in one piece." Cameron said.

"Well, we still have the advantage of numbers." Lightning pointed out.

"Um, they could probably call in other cops." Shawn pointed out.

"Pfft, well, like, they're probably too stupid to figure that out." Amy brushed off that claim. "Right?"

Lightning glanced over at Shawn in the drivers seat.

"Bro, why're ya goin' so slow?" Lightning asked.

"I'm don't want to accidentally hurt any other drivers." Shawn explained. "If this was the apocalypse it'd be a different story."

"We're trying to win here! Step on the gas!" Amy demanded.

"Um, okay." Shawn replied.

Shawn pressed down harder on the gas pedal and swerved in between two other motorists.

"I think we're making good time." Sky commented.

Soon after she said this, the faint sound of a siren was heard.

"Crap! That don't sound good." Lightning said.

"Hey, we still have those guns, right?" Amy asked. "I bet we could put them to good use against the other team."

"We won't y'know, kill them right?" Cameron questioned.

"Even if we did it would all be virtual. So it doesn't matter." Amy replied.

"Hmmm... Let's think about this for a second." Shawn said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I don't see why everyone was so hung up about that? If _I_ was in charge we'd be ten times as effecient." Amy stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the Actors' car, the team was slowly catching up with their opponents.

"C'mon, faster, faster!" Anne Maria shouted.

"Just because you keep telling me to do something doesn't mean it'll make it so." Topher told him.

"Hey, I just thought of something." Gwen remarked.

"Gwen, I think we can talk later." Dave told her.

"Hold on, this is relevant." Gwen insisted. "Since we're police can't we call for backup?"

"Oh hey, you're right." Scott realized. "Does anyone know the, umm polcie codewords to use?"

"No, I don't think any of us do." Dave said.

"Just wing it." Anne Maria suggested. "What could go wrong."

Scott grabbed a walking talkie off his shoulder.

"Hey, um, dispatch, requesting backup..." Scott unconfidently spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Look, we're new on the force and need some backup! These guys just robbed a bank and they're driving through downtown in a van! Get down here now!"

"Okay, sending backup." A female voice on the other side of the radio said in an oddly calm manner.

"Great." Scott said before attaching the walkie-talkie back to his shoulder. "All right, we should have some backup."

"Awesome, and we should be able to keep up to the other team until backup arrives." Topher remarked.

"Yeah, there ain't many vans on the road." Anne Maria agreed.

"Hey guys, was the back of their van always open?" Dave asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Topher replied.

Topher looked ahead and saw that the back doors to the Directors' van had opened. Amy was standing just at the mouth of the doors carrying a machine gun with her.

"Oh... That can not be good." Topher said.

"C'mon, start zig-zagging!" Scott yelled. "We don't wanna get shot!"

Topher nodded and began to move the car in a zig-zag pattern in between the other cars on the road. Amy fired off her machine gun at the Actor but managed to only hit the ground near the car each time.

"Wow, she is a _really_ bad shot." Gwen remarked.

"I guess it's tough to use one of those." Topher said.

"Should we try shooting at her?" Dave wondered.

"I'm gonna go for it." Scott replied.

Scott rolled down his window and unholstered the pistol strapped to his belt. He stuck his arm out the window and fired in the general direction of the van. Most of the bullets missed the van entirely while a few managed to hit the open door next to Amy. With that warning, Amy shut the door behind her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Haven't watched many cop movies or heist movies but that sure was fun... Kinda makes me wanna watch more." Scott said.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside the van, the Directors were still attempting to escape from the Actors.

"Hey, which way are we supposed to go?" Shawn asked.

"Hmm..." Lightning trailed off as he looked down at the map. "Take this next exit, dude. That should help us lose 'em."

"Will that get us closer to the warehouse?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Lightning replied.

"All right I'll trust you on this." Shawn said.

"Hey guys, I think I slowed the other team down." Amy spoke up.

"Um, I was watching. It didn't look like you did that." Cameron said.

"Oh, shut up." Amy told him. "I'm pretty sure I did great."

"Yo, Shawn, turn here." Lightning instructed.

Shawn nodded and turned the highway's exit.

"All right, I think we should be in the clear now." Shawn remarked.

"I dunno, I'm pretty sure the other team is still after us." Sierra said.

As the Directors got off the highway and passed by some businesses, three other cop cars began to follow them.

"Gah! Looks like the other team called for backup." Cameron realized.

"Okay, so maybe they are smarter than I gave them credit for." Amy admitted.

"Yo, take a sharp right comin' up." Lightning told Shawn. "Trust me, it'll be the best way to lose 'em."

"Oh, all right." Shawn said. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Trust me, I've got a map. I know exactly what I'm doin'." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I had no idea what I was doin'." Lightning admitted. "But I knew Shawn would trust me. Y'know, 'cause of the alliance thing."

* * *

Back with the Actors, they were following the Directors now off the highway with the other cops alongside them.

"All right, I think we have an advantage now." Scott remarked.

"How so?" Dave asked.

"Numbers. We have numbers on our side." Scott explained.

The van ahead of them quickly took a turn to the right at an upcoming fork in the road.

"Topher, make the turn." Gwen told him.

"What? Now?" Topher asked.

"Uh huh, now." Gwen said.

Topher turned the car in the same direction as the Directors but accidentally drove onto the sidewalk briefly and knocked over a stop sign.

"Uh, whoops." Topher said.

"Don't worry about it, keep going." Anne Maria told him.

Topher looked ahead of him and saw the van he was supposed to catch. He looked to his left and saw they were driving next to a storm drain.

"Hey, Scott, try shooting their tires." Dave advised him.

"Good idea." Scott said.

Scott rolled down the window and stuck his arm out. He fired out several shots but most of them hit the doors and tail lights of the van instead of the tires. Suddenly, the car sharply swerved to the left and drove straight through the chain link fence and into the storm drain.

"Oh my god, did they mean to do that?" Gwen asked.

"C'mon, let's follow 'em!" Anne Maria ordered.

"Is that a good idea?" Topher asked.

"Yeah, we need to get 'em." Anne Maria told him. "C'mon, it'll be like in Terminator Two."

"I agree with Anne, we can't exactly catch them if we don't follow them." Dave added.

"Give me a minute to think..." Topher trailed off.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"What I was mostly thinking of was whether or not they _meant_ to drive into the storm drain." Topher said.

* * *

Meanwhile, over with the Directors, they navigated their van through the storm drain.

"Lightning, are you sure this is a good idea?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, driving into a storm drain seems kinda stupid." Amy agreed.

"Nah man, we're throwin' them off by goin' to a place that's hard to follow." Lightning explained.

"I think we can trust him." Shawn said.

"Yeah, I think this might work." Sky agreed. "I mean, I don't even see the other team right now."

Soon after Sky said this, a section of chain link fence fell into the water behind them and the police car containing the Actors drove into the storm drain.

"Uh, maybe I spoke too soon." Sky admitted.

"Should I try shooting at them again?" Amy wondered.

"Did we bring any more weapons?" Sierra replied.

"Hmmm... Good question." Amy said. "Let me check."

Amy went over to a bulging cloth sack and began to sift through it.

"What do we have here?" Amy wondered as she felt around inside of the bag. "Pistols... No, that less useful... Knives... Definitely not... Ooh, explosives. Now _that_ is useful."

"Um, explosives?" Cameron nervously repeated.

"Can you two help me out with this?" Amy requested of Sky and Cameron.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"I don't trust Amy." Cameron stated. "And, even if they're virtual, I especially don't trust her with explosives."

* * *

Back in the Actors' police vehicle, the rest of their backup had caught up and was slowly advancing on the van.

"I'm still confused, what's the plan here?" Topher asked.

"This storm drain can't go on forever." Scott told him. "Once we reach a dead end they'll surrender."

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart." Topher admitted. "So if I just keep up this pace, we should be good, right?"

"Yep, smooth sailin' from here." Anne Maria said.

At that moment, the doors to the van opened up and on the other side stood Amy, Sky, and Cameron each holding explosives in their hands.

"Uh... What are they holding?" Dave asked.

"Whatever it is... It can't be good." Gwen remarked.

Amy chucked one of the explosives at the Actors. It missed them and hit one of the cop cars driving near them. After a few seconds, the explosives went of engulfing the car in flames.

"Oh my god!" Anne Maria exclaimed. "They're tryin' to blow us up! Quick, Topher, ram into them!"

"Um, I'm not so sure about that." Topher said. "Maybe we could just try to dodge the explosives."

"Topher, she's been right so far, just do it." Dave told him.

"Yeah, I think they're right here." Scott added.

"Fine... Majority vote wins..." Topher mumbled.

Topher sped up the car and aimed it right at the back end of the van.

"Is it too late to back off?" Topher wondered as the car got faster.

"I don't think so." Gwen remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Note to self, Topher... Assert yourself more if you want people to listen." Topher told himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were becoming more and more aware of the oncoming impact.

"Oh my god, they're heading right for us." Sky realized.

"We need to blow them up before they reach us!" Amy ordered. "C'mon guys, let's do it!"

In a panic, Cameron pressed a button on his explosive and tossed it at the Actors' car. The explosive went straight over their car and landed near one of the other cop cars where it exploded, wrecking its unintended target.

"Whoops, wrong one..." Cameron trailed off.

"Ugh, you idiot. Here, let me try." Amy said.

"Guys! Brace for impact!" Sky yelled.

The Actors' cop car slammed right into their van causing them all to lose their balance. Amy grabbed on to part of the door while Cameron fell backwards. Sky, on the other hand, went flying forwards and landed on the hood of her opponent's car.

"Oh no..." Sky trailed off.

"Jesus! Get her off of there!" Sky heard Scott yell from inside.

Topher pressed a button in the car and the wipers turned on, forcing Sky from the windshield further down the hood.

"Ugh, he means shake her off!" Anne Maria shouted.

Topher nodded and began to swerve the car rapidly but Sky still managed to hang on.

"Sky! Take one for the team!" Amy yelled over to her.

"What!?" Sky yelled back.

"The bomb! Use the bomb!" Amy explained. "I'll get Shawn to speed up and you blow the other team up! Just do it, all right!"

Cameron quickly closed the van's doors and soon after the vehicle began to speed up. Sky looked up at the members of the Actors.

"Hey, guys!" Sky shouted to them as she held up her explosive. "Sorry about this, but I feel like we earned this win!"

Sky saw Scott mouth what looked like a very annoyed "Seriously?" and she then pressed a button on her explosive. After a few seconds it went off, setting the whole car on fire and leaving pieces of metal flying everywhere.

Meanwhile, inside the Directors' van, the remaining Directors were sitting around.

"So, uh, what happened?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah, there was an explosion, but did we win?" Lightning asked.

"Let me check." Amy said.

Amy cracked open the van door and saw the one lone police car still after them.

"Looks like we got rid of the Actors." Amy remarked.

"So we won?" Cameron asked.

All the remaining Actors began glowing a white light.

"I'd say so." Shawn remarked.

After a flash of white light, they all vanished.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Wow... That was... Kind of intense.." Sky trailed off. "Remind me to never do that in real life."

* * *

Back in the real world, the contestants had just come out of the machine when their visors went up.

"And welcome back to reality everyone!" Chris announced. "Did you enjoy your brief heist adventure?"

"I'm confused, did we lose?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, you got blown up pretty hard." Chris told him. "Since there wasn't anyone left on your team to compete, the Directors won by default."

"Woo!" Lightning cheered. "We did it again. Three in a row."

"Thanks for rubbing it in." Scott sarcastically remarked.

"You're welcome." Lightning said obliviously.

"So now do we go eat lunch or whatever?" Gwen asked.

"You sure do." Chris said. "And after that, it's off to the elimination ceremony. Don't worry, I'm told Chef is making something _real good_ today."

"Was that a sarcastic 'Real Good' or an actual one?" Sky asked.

"It was _very_ sarcastic." Chris replied. "But anyway, get on down there."

The scene shifted to a little while later at the film lot's mess hall. Both teams had gathered at their separate tables and were eating some very burnt fish sticks. The camera focused in on the Directors.

"If this is 'Real Good' I'd hate to see what's bad." Amy remarked.

"Look on the bright side, at least we won." Shawn remarked.

"Yeah, thanks for taking one for the team, Sky." Lightning told her.

"Oh, it was nothing." Sky said. "Well... Okay, it was actually a lot. But I'm just glad we're the winners."

"You think we can keep up this winning sreak?" Cameron wondered.

"Well, we just got three in a row so I'd say it's pretty likely." Shawn said.

"This team is awesome." Sierra remarked. "Too bad my old team lost though."

"Well, it was either us or them." Amy told her.

"Huh, I guess you're right." Sierra replied. "Still though."

"Look, just don't think about it." Amy said.

"Yeah, let's just celebrate us bein' great!" Lightning cheered.

The camera panned over to the table that contained the Actors all of whom looked very miserable. Scott and Dave were missing from the group.

"Ugh, that challenge was a bust." Anne Maria complained.

"Yeah, getting blown up is not fun." Gwen added.

"Hey guys, have you noticed that Dave and Scott are missing?" Topher asked.

"Oh yeah, you're right." Anne Maria realized. "Didn't they do this during the last challenge as well?"

"Wonder what they're up to." Topher said.

"I mean, it's probably an alliance." Gwen guessed. "It's the most obvious answer so it's probably the truth."

"Uh oh, they'd better not be planning to undermine me." Topher remarked. "... I should keep an eye on them."

"Whatever, right now let's just agree to do better in the next challenge." Anne Maria said.

"Good idea, Zoey had the right idea when she said we should stop the whole argument thing." Topher said. "Oh by the way, Gwen, sorry we couldn't have won on your first day."

"It's all right... Kinda." Gwen said. "I'm sure we'll do better next time."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"First day here... Not so great." Gwen admitted. "But the people seem mostly nice. Except Scott, don't really like him too much. But anyway, I'm sure things can only improve from here."

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were in the trailer.

"Hey Scott, since we lost, do you have any plans on who we should vote off?" Dave asked.

"Yep, that's exactly why I brought you here." Scott stated.

"Oh, okay." Dave remarked. "So who should we vote for tonight?"

"We go for Anne Maria." Scott explained. "I feel like it would be the right time to vote her off, She's too much of a threat to keep in the game. Did you see how well she did in the challenge?"

"All right, I see your point, Scott." Dave remarked. "But if we want to go for a big threat shouldn't we go for someone like Gwen or maybe even Topher?"

"Hey Dave!" Scott snapped. "I'm the one making the decisions! Got it?"

Dave looked down and sighed.

"Alright Scott I'll vote for Anne Maria" Dave said.

"Good." Scott said. "You see Dave if you just agree with me on who to vote for, you'll make it much further into the game."

Scott walked out of the trailer as Dave watched him shut the door behind him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"You know, now I'm even less sure about myself being in this alliance with Scott." Dave admitted. "But at least I have someone watching my back. "Or at least I think I do... I think I'll have to make a tough decision at the ceremony."

* * *

The scene changed to Chris up on the stage with the members of the Actors out in the bleachers.

"So, three losses in a row. Must feel pretty pathetic." Chris remarked. "Well, except for you Gwen since you were just on a two-episode winning streak."

"Uh, thank you... I guess." Gwen replied.

"You do this every time. What's even the point?" Scott asked.

"You question me every time. What's the point of that?" Chris countered. "Anyway, we can talk about trivial matters later. For now, it's voting time! So get to the confessional and draw on some pictures."

"Right now?" Anne Maria said.

"Yes, of course right now." Chris said. "Now go!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over Anne Maria's photo.

"I'm trimming off the fat here, I know you were useful in this challenge but that's a threat to me." Scott stated. "I need to make sure I have as little competition as possible when I go into the merge."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave held up a crossed out photograph of Anne Maria to the camera.

"I agree with Scott, out of everyone left you're the least useful." Dave stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen put an X over one of Topher's photos.

"I'm real sorry about this. You've been real nice to me." Gwen stated. "But you really don't seem to know what you're doing."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

"I can't decide to be honest." Topher admitted. "I could go for Anne Maria on account of her showing me up, or Scott for the same reason... Or I could try to be the nice guy here and throw away my vote on someone like Gwen. Because, let's face it, nobody's gonna vote for her. She's too nice. Tough decision here..."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Anne Maria)**

Anne Maria put a photograph of Gwen with an X over it in view of the camera.

"Yeah, it ain't really fair to pick on the new girl." Anne Maria admitted. "But I feel like she sorta throws off our balance. So, bye, bye Gwen."

* * *

The scene changed back over to Chris on the stage post-voting with the contestants gathered around him.

"Okay, I've counted out the votes and I think it's time to announce your decision here." Chris explained.

"Great, so are you gonna tell us?" Topher asked.

"Indeed I am." Chris said. "Scott, Dave, you get two Gilded Chris Awards right off the bat for some reason."

Chris threw the two of them their awards.

"Next up, I'm going to give out one more award to increase tension." Chris explained. "And it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Topher!"

Chris tossed the Gilded Chris Award to Topher.

"All right, never doubted you for a second, Chris." Topher remarked.

"Thank you, but I don't care." Chris said. "Anyway, Anne Maria, Gwen, I've got one last Gilded Chris Award left and it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Gwen!"

The last award was thrown over to Gwen.

"Phew, that was close." Gwen remarked.

"Aw man, seriously?" Anne Maria asked. "I thought I did pretty well today."

"Hey, I'm not the one who votes here." Chris reminded her. "Now, if you would so kindly make your way to the Lame-o-sine that'd be great."

"All right, fine, I get it." Anne Maria remarked. "See y'all later."

Anne Maria got down from the bleachers and walked down the nearby red carpet towards the limousine. Once she made it to the limo, she wasted no time getting in.

"Yep... That wasn't fun." Anne Maria remarked. "Can't even think of anything clever to say. I was blown up today and then I got voted off. Just drive this thing outta here if ya would."

The scene changed to outside the limousine as it drove off. Chris walked up to where the limo once was.

"Another one's gone and ten remain!" Chris announced. "Will the Actors be able to pull out of this devastating losing streak or will they los yet again? My money's on the latter but the only way to know for certain is to stick around for more, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** Scott, Gwen, Topher, and Dave

 **Demented Directors:** Cameron, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (11th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: Anne Maria

Anne Maria: Gwen

Topher: Anne Maria

Dave: Anne Maria

Gwen: Topher

 **Results:**

Anne Maria: 3 Votes

Topher: 1 Vote

Gwen: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. As I said before, Strange People will be updated either today or tomorrow depending on how busy/motivated to write I end up being. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had a heist movie challenge in one of my previous fanfics but I've seen more heist films since then. In fact, recently I've seen Ocean's 11, Ocean's 8, and Baby Driver. I got most of the inspiration for this challenge from the Grand Theft Auto games though. But I think there was some influence from Baby Driver in there too. But anyway, as for Anne Maria's elimination, she's a pretty good character in my opinion but I didn't have much for her to do. Plus I gave her a lot of attention in a previous story. Anyway, that's it for thie chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	10. Aftermath II

**Okay, it's time for another Aftermath. I know not much happened in the last one but this time I made sure that this one has a bit mroe substance to it. Hopefully, it turned out well. Also, you may have noticed that this chapter was up earlier than the last one. Despite that, my other story, Strange People, isn't finished yet and will probably be up sometime between tomorrow and Monday. Anyway, that's about all I gotta say. But first, here's my response to your reviews:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Actually, you named all of the remaining characters in the story. So good memory for you.

 **Actosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** I've been meaning to watch Ocean's 12 and 13 but haven't yet. So far I've only seen Ocean's 11 and 8.

 **Okay, that's all the reviews. Let's get to the actual story now.**

* * *

The words "Total Drama Aftermath" flashed across a blue backdrop in big white letters. Bright, cheery music was playing as this happened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to… Total Drama Aftermath!" A deep voice announcer cheered. "We're back with interviews for the latest batch of eliminated contestants. So stick around for all the fun."

The title screen went away revealing Blaineley, Bridgette, and Geoff sitting on a couch in the Aftermath Studio.

"Welcome back to Total Drama Aftermath." Bridgette told the audience. "Since you last saw us, four more contestants have been eliminated."

"And you know what that means. We'll be talking to them." Geoff remarked.

There was a pause as Geoff and Bridgette waited for Blaineley to say something next. Blaineley realized this and looked over at something off camera.

"Line!" Blaineley shouted.

A man wearing a headset and carrying a bunch of papers ran over to Blaineley and whispered something in her ear.

"Thank you Charlie." Blaineley remarked.

The man dashed off and Blaineley looked back into the camera.

"We're going to find out how these people feel about being eliminated. Among other things." Blaineley said.

"Did you really just forget your line?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, we were supposed to memorize them." Bridgette said.

"I've decided to adopt an 'I don't care' policy." Blaineley explained. "In fact, ever since we had that first Aftermath, I've auditioned for like, a dozen movies. And all of them sound terrible."

"What made you decide not to care?" Geoff asked.

"I dunno." Blaineley admitted. "I feel like being on this show again means my career is at rock bottom so if I stopped caring, it wouldn't matter."

"You can be really sad sometimes." Bridgette remarked.

"Oh, shut up." Blaineley told her.

"But you're also kind of a jerk." Bridgette added.

"Uh, guys, don't we have a show to do?" Geoff reminded them.

"Oh, right, let's get back to that." Bridgette said. "Who're we interviewing first?"

"That'd be our athlete from season one: Tyler!" Geoff announced.

The audience applauded as Tyler walked up on the stage.

"Hey everyone, I'm here!" Tyler cheered. "Aw yeah, I'm great!"

Tyler went over to the couch and sat down with the three hosts.

"I'm gonna be honest, Tyler, the entire time you were walking over here I was waiting for you to fall over." Blaineley said.

"C'mon, I'm pretty coordinated." Tyler argued.

"Um, you tripped over _nothing_ and impaled yourself on a katana in that challenge you were eliminated in." Blaineley pointed out.

"Actually, going over the footage, it's pretty clear Amy tripped him." Bridgette told her.

"Wait, what!?" Tyler exclaimed. "For real?"

"Yeah, that's what it looks like in the footage." Geoff said.

"Aw man…" Tyler sighed. "That sucks."

"Well, anyway, we have some interview questions to do." Blaineley told him. "So let's start with…"

Blaineley trailed off, not really saying anything.

"What was the first question?" Blaineley asked.

"We'll take over." Bridgette told her before looking at Tyler. "So Tyler, how do you feel about being eliminated?"

"Uh… I was all right with it until about like, five seconds ago." Tyler said.

"Why's that?" Geoff asked.

"Well, before I was just happy to be back somewhere normal… But now I'm just upset that Amy screwed me over." Tyler explained. "I coulda made it much further."

"Meh, could you?" Blaineley asked.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Tyler said.

"You're a total klutz." Blaineley told him. "Plus, in your first two seasons you didn't even make the merge."

"Why is it that whenever you talk this show turns into 'Insult the guest'?" Bridgette asked.

"Listen, surfer girl, I'm the oldest person here so, therefore, I get to do whatever I want. So don't question me." Blaineley said.

"Uh, moving on, let's do some more questions." Geoff said before looking at Tyler. "So Tyler, what's your favourite sport?"

"Uh… Well, I like running." Tyler explained. "That's why I'm always in this tracksuit. It's comfy and makes running easier."

"If you like running so much why do you always fall over?" Blaineley asked.

"C'mon, sports are hard." Tyler told her. "Do you play any sports?"

"Well, um, no." Blaineley admitted. "But I do pilates twice a week. I gotta keep this body of mine somehow."

"Can we get back on topic." Bridgette told her. "Seriously Blaineley, every time you open your mouth you go off on a tangent."

"All right, fine, ask Tyler some more boring questions." Blaineley said.

"So Tyler, if you could make a challenge for this season, what would it be?" Bridgette asked.

"Well, not to sound obvious, but I'd make it a sports-themed challenge." Tyler explained. "Y'know maybe like a Kung Fu tournament or basketball game. That'd be awesome."

"I'm sure Chris is planning something like that already." Geoff theorized. "He likes sports stuff. I've seen his zombie badminton movie several times."

"Are we done with questions yet?" Blaineley asked. "I'm getting bored."

"One last question for him actually." Bridgette said before looking at Tyler. "So tell us, who do you think will be eliminated next?"

"Hmm… I dunno, I hope it's Amy. 'Cause seriously, tripping me up just wasn't cool." Tyler said. "As for who it'll probably be…. I dunno, I'm not good at guessing."

"Well that was nice. Now please do us a favour and go away." Blaineley told him.

"Oh, all right." Tyler replied. "I'll go over to the peanut gallery I guess."

Tyler stood up from the couch and walked over to the previously eliminated contestants. He sat down next to Jo.

"Hmm, I can't quite remember… Where we on the same team?" Tyler asked.

"Yes, we were. Now would you please be quiet." Jo told him. "I don't like being reminded that I was eliminated first."

"Oh, okay. Sorry." Tyler said.

The camera cut back to the three hosts.

"So, who do we have next?" Blaineley asked. "Seriously, who? I can't remember what order these people were eliminated in."

"Well, the answer is Revenge of the Island's redheaded two time final three member and one time finalist: Zoey!" Geoff announced. "Let's give her a round of applause."

The studio audience began clapping as Zoey stepped out on stage and waved at the audience.

"Um, hi everyone." Zoey waved to the audience. "It's nice to be here."

Zoey walked across the stage and sat down with the trio of hosts.

"So, we'll start off with what we always ask." Bridgette told her. "How do you feel about being eliminated."

"It's nice to be here, I guess." Zoey remarked. "It'd be nice to be on the show too but at least here I feel less tormented by Chris all the time. Plus, now I get to be in contact with Mike more."

"So you feel better now that you're off the show?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Zoey said. "Oh, by the way-"

Zoey was cut off when an electronic buzzing noise became audible.

"What the heck is that noise?" Zoey asked.

"Sounds like someone's ringtone, dude." Geoff replied.

"Oh, that's my phone." Blaineley realized.

Blaineley reached into her dress pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"Wow, that is _real_ professional." Bridgette sarcastically remarked.

"I wasn't expecting to get a call." Blaineley told her. "One moment please."

Blaineley answered the phone.

"This is Blaineley O'Halloran speaking. How may I help you?" Blaineley identified herself to whoever was on the other end. "Oh, it's you. No, I'm not busy at all."

"Seriously, man?" Geoff asked. "We're filming."

Blaineley put her hand over one end of the phone and looked at her co-hosts.

"Talk to Zoey without me." Blaineley told them. "This is an important call."

Blaineley put the phone back to her ear.

"Anyway, you were saying?" Blaineley said as she stood up from the couch.

She then proceeded to walk away from the couch and off the whole set in fact.

"Will she be back?" Zoey wondered.

"I hope not." Bridgette said.

"Uh, let's focus on your questions, Zoey." Geoff told her.

"Oh, great." Zoey said. "What're you going to ask next?"

"Well, Chris has been big on focus groups recently…. For some reason." Bridgette began. "In fact, this season's roster was chosen by a focus group. But anyway, on the behalf of Chris we wanted to know what your favourite challenge was so far?"

"Uh… Whichever one I was least terrified by." Zoey stated. "I guess the one based on that old-timey prison movie I never heard of before."

"Oh, right, the one where you were you were in Mississippi. Never saw that movie either." Geoff remarked. "That's your pick for your favourite?"

"Compared to all the others I felt way less terrified after it was over." Zoey explained.

"Yeah, that's fair." Bridgette admitted. "I'm glad I'm not competing this season. I did not have a good time back in World Tour. Actually, I didn't even like filming my cameo in season four."

"I don't blame you." Zoey remarked. "Oh, I'm sorry, are we getting off topic."

"Uh, a little." Bridgette realized. "Geoff, what was our next question."

"Oh, right the question." Geoff said. "So Zoey, this is the first time you haven't made the merge. Now obviously, you don't have as big an ego as some of the other people on this show. But we're still curious if you expected to go further."

"Uh... Yeah, a little." Zoey admitted. "I mean, I figured I'd make the final five at least. I'm not quite sure what went wrong this time."

"I get how you feel." Geoff told her. "I was like, real good in the first season but after that, me and Bridge were off first next season."

"And then I was the third person off in World Tour." Bridgette added. "So yeah, I can kinda understand where you're coming from."

"Oh, well, thanks." Zoey said. "So any more questions or am I done here?"

"Uh, yeah, one more actually." Bridgette said. "So Zoey, this is a question that's asked by many fans of the show. They're wondering if you and Mike are still dating."

"Yep, sure are." Zoey replied. "The two of us are still together. Wish I had a more interesting answer but that's it."

There was a short pause between the three of them.

"Well, guess we're done here." Geoff remarked.

"Yeah, okay, uh, well it's been nice talking to you." Zoey said. "Especially without-"

"Hey there, people!" A female voice announced from off camera. "I'm back from my phone call."

"Oh, great..." Bridgette sarcastically said.

Blaineley walked back over to the couch and sat down with Zoey and the two other hosts.

"So what'd I miss?" Blaineley asked.

"Well, I, um, I was just about to leave actually." Zoey explained. "So, uh, bye."

Zoey quickly got up from the couch and hurried herself over to the peanut gallery where she sat down next to Cody.

"Oh, hey there." Cody greeted her.

"Hi." Zoey replied. "So... Blaineley, huh."

"Yeah, she's... Interesting." Cody said.

"Hey, idiots! I can hear you!" Blaineley shouted over to them.

The camera switched back over to a view of the three hosts.

"So, um, like, who called you?" Geoff asked.

"Oh, it was someone at a movie studio. My audition for a film called 'Axe Attack' was accepted. I think it's some kind of slasher film." Blaineley explained. "So keep an eye out for me on the small screen."

"You mean the big screen?" Bridgette asked.

"No, it sounds like it's gonna be direct to DVD." Blaineley stated. "So it'd be on the small screen."

"Um, anywho, we have two more contestants to talk to." Geoff tried to move things on. "So let's talk about-"

Blaineley's phone began to ring again causing her to take it out.

"Oh, that's my hairstylist." Blaineley remarked. "I need to answer."

"Seriously? You didn't even turn it to vibrate?" Bridgette said.

"It was too much work." Blaineley told her. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to answer this call."

Bridgette snatched the phone out of Blaineley's hand and hit the "Decline Call" button on it.

"We're going to focus on the show now, all right." Bridgette told her. "And _you_ will actually take this job seriously."

"Give me back my phone, surfer girl." Blaineley said.

"You'll get it back when we finish the show." Bridgette replied.

"Oh, no way. There is no way I'm going to stand for this." Blaineley stated. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my dressing room. You idiots can host this thing all on your own."

Blaineley grabbed her phone back and then promptly stormed off the set.

"So, uh, should we keep going or what?" Geoff asked.

"I'm going to talk to her." Bridgette stated. "She needs to take this job seriously if any of us want some peace and quiet."

Bridgette got up from the couch and walked off in the direction Blaineley went.

"Wait, babe!" Geoff called out to her. "We still got a show to do!"

"Keep the audience entertained while I'm gone!" Bridgette called back.

Geoff looked out at the studio audience.

"Um... Hi." Geoff said.

The camera's focused switched over from the stage to the view of a cameraman following Bridgette through the backstage halls of the Aftermath studio.

"I try to be a nice person." Bridgette said to nobody in particular. "But she is just so obnoxious sometimes."

Bridgette stopped in front of a door in the hall. It had a gold coloured star on it with the word "Blaineley" printed on it

"Well, this is the place." Bridgette remarked.

Bridgette pounded on the door with her fist.

"Blaineley, open up." Bridgette told her. "We need to talk about your behavior."

"I'm busy!" Blaineley yelled back from the other side of the door. "It's very important that I communicate with my stylist right now!"

"I'm coming in right now." Bridgette stated.

"Yeah, well, good luck getting through that locked door." Blaineley said.

Bridgette grabbed the door handle and turned it, realizing that it was in fact not locked at all. Despite her initial confusion by this, Bridgette turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"Ah dang it, I could've sworn I locked that stupid thing." Blaineley remarked.

"Well, looks like you didn't." Bridgette told her.

Blaineley glared at Bridgette briefly before speaking into her phone.

"Hey, Victor, we have to talk later." Blaineley told whoever was on the other end. "But remember, I still have that appointment tomorrow."

Blaineley hung up her phone and then glanced back at Bridgette.

"Shouldn't you be hosting your stupid show?" Blaineley asked.

"Listen, I may hate you but I just want you to at least try and act normal when you're out there." Bridgette told her. "Or maybe just try at _anything_."

"Look, kid, I have better things to do than be on a stupid reality show so there's no way I'm going to listen to you." Blaineley replied.

"Do you really consider direct to DVD horror movies to be a step up?" Bridgette asked.

"Well... When you put it like that... Maybe like, by one percent." Blaineley admitted.

"In that case, could you come back out on stage and do your job." Bridgette requested. "And do it without being sarcastic or insulting people."

"Hmm... I'll think about it..." Blaineley trailed off. "What's in it for me?"

"Well, everyone will be a lot happier." Bridgette said.

"I won't." Blaineley stated.

"The whole world doesn't revolve around you." Bridgette told her.

"Just tell me what's in it for me." Blaineley repeated.

"Hmm... Uh, how about I go to that haircut you've got tomorrow." Bridgette offered.

"Why would I want that?" Blaineley asked. "Actually... Hang on... I don't really have anyone to talk to when I'm there... And Victor is pretty lousy at conversation."

"So if I do that, will you promise to at least try to act like you care?" Bridgette said.

"Yeah, sure, why not." Blaineley replied. "But you'd better follow through on the haircut."

"Right, right, I will." Bridgette said. "Now c'mon, get back on stage."

The scene switched back over to the stage where Geoff was making an attempt to keep the audience entertained.

"So, uh, did any of you guys see that racing show me and my bud Brody were on?" Geoff asked. "It was super cool. We got to travel all over the world and get some exercise. Yeah, I've got all sorts of cool stories... I can't remember any of them right now though."

Before Geoff could continue Blaineley and Bridgette walked back on stage.

"Oh thank god, you guys came back." Geoff remarked. "I ran out of stuff to talk about real fast. Did you guys sort things out?"

"I think so." Bridgette replied.

"We sure did!" Blaineley cheered in a voice that sounded fake somehow. "And now, let's talk to our next contestant! Isn't that _fun_!"

"Okay... That was weird..." Geoff trailed off.

"Maybe tone it down a little." Bridgette whispered to Blaineley.

"Uh, anyway, let's talk about our next guest." Geoff tried to continue. "Say hello to season one's gentle giant: DJ!"

Applause erupted from the audience and DJ stepped out on to the stage and waved at them.

"Uh, hey there everyone." DJ greeted. "What's up? Wow, didn't realize this show was still so popular."

DJ walked over to the couch and sat down with the three hosts.

"Hey, uh, why'd it take so long for me to get out here?" DJ asked once he was seated.

"It's a long story we'd prefer not to get into." Bridgette replied.

"That just makes me more curious." DJ stated.

"Look, we can explain some other time." Bridgette told him. "Sorry DJ."

"It's cool." DJ said. "So, um, do you have any questions for me?"

"We'll start off with the old standard: How do you feel about being eliminated?" Blaineley said.

"Uh, I'm not sure." DJ answered.

"Really? How so?" Bridgette asked.

"Well, I mean, it was fun to be on the show some of the time." DJ replied. "But... A lot of it was really scary. Especially with the whole virtual reality gimmick."

"Yeah, I don't totally understand how that works." Geoff admitted. "Sounds kinda cool, but also kinda weird."

"It's very weird." DJ agreed. "And also _very_ frightening."

"I believe you." Bridgette said. "Chris does have a history of making things as dangerous as possible. And being chased around by alien monsters and sword fighting probably isn't very fun."

"Yeah, you said it." DJ replied. "So, how many more questions do you have?"

"Like, three more or something." Geoff told him. "Wanna hear more?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ready." DJ said.

"Great, we've got another question Chris wants to use to improve the show." Geoff explained.

"Oh..." DJ trailed off, sounding worried.

"What moment from any challenge would you say was the most terrifying or traumatizing?" Geoff asked.

"Uh... Gimme a moment." DJ requested. "There's a lotta scary stuff on that show."

"Take your time, we just _love_ talking to you." Blaineley remarked.

DJ stared at Blaineley for a moment.

"Were you always this happy?" DJ asked. "I feel like I'm remembering things differently."

"No idea what you're talking about, you lovely, lovely person." Blaineley said. "Now please answer the question."

"Didn't I just tell you to tone it down?" Bridgette remarked.

"Uh, anyway, if I had to choose the scariest moment it'd probably be those vampires." DJ said. "From the second challenge."

"Oh, right, those weird pale dudes." Geoff recalled. "Yeah, that was a majorly freaky challenge."

"Please don't make me think about it more." DJ requested.

"If you had to pick a second moment, what would it be?" Blaineley asked.

"Is that another question or just something you personally are curious about?" DJ said.

"The latter." Blaineley replied.

"Oh, well, anyway, I guess the second scariest bit was the giant alien from that challenge Zoey was eliminating in." DJ remarked.

"Right, if I'm remembering right, you fell of an apartment building in that challenge." Bridgette said.

"Oh yeah... That was _not_ fun." DJ remembered. "Uh, am I done here yet?"

"Nope, still a few more questions." Geoff told him.

"All right, uh, keep going then." DJ said.

"So, DJ, the last time you were on the show you had that animal curse." Bridgette began.

"I know, and I don't like being reminded." DJ said.

"Well, the fans wanna know if the animal curse is still around." Bridgette explained.

"Nope, not that I know of." DJ told her. "Things have been going okay with me and any animals I meet. Nobody's gotten hurt so far."

"Well, that's sure good to know." Geoff remarked.

"So, we've got one last question." Bridgette explained. "Tell us, DJ, out of the four seasons you've been on which one did you enjoy best."

"Hmm... Tough call. There was a lotta good stuff each time but a lotta bad stuff too." DJ said.

"But what's your final decision?" Geoff asked.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna have to go with the first season." DJ remarked. "I'd say that's where I had the most fun."

"Yeah, I think I'd have to agree too." Geoff asked. "The first season was awesome."

"Well, that's all the questions we have for you." Bridgette told him.

"Have a nice day! Have I mentioned how _great_ you are." Blaineley remarked.

"Uh... I'm just gonna go over to the peanut gallery now." DJ said.

DJ quickly stood up and went over to the peanut gallery where he sat down near Max.

"Oh hey, you're that weird supervillain guy who was on my team." DJ realized. "Man, I almost forgot about you."

"How dare you! Nobody ever forgets about _me_!" Max exclaimed.

"I, uh, I'm sorry." DJ quickly apologized.

"Hmmph, you'd better be." Max said.

The camera changed back over to the three hosts.

"Okay, now that we're done there it's on to our next contestant." Geoff remarked.

"Oh boy! I'm sure talking to them will be _great_." Blaineley said.

"Blaineley, can we talk backstage. Again." Bridgette requested.

"What are you talking about?" Blaineley asked. "I'm just doing exactly what you told me."

"Look, we need to talk again, all right." Bridgette told her.

"Ugh, fine, see you backstage." Blaineley said.

Blaineley and Bridgette stood up and began to walk away from the set.

"Wait! Babe! Do I have to keep the audience entertained again?" Geoff asked.

"It'll only be for a second." Bridgette told him.

Geoff looked out over the audience.

"Um... Hi again." Geoff said.

The camera switched to one of the backstage hallways where Bridgette and Blaineley were talking.

"So do you mind telling me exactly what you were doing out there?" Bridgette asked.

"Exactly what you told me to do." Blaineley stated.

"Are you trying to mess with my head or something?" Bridgette asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blaineley denied.

"I mean that you are purposely misinterpreting my advice to annoy me." Bridgette said.

"Okay, fine, maybe I am." Blaineley admitted.

"Ugh, what can I do to get you to act normal?" Bridgette asked. "I already agreed to get my hair cut with you."

"Hmm..." Blaineley trailed off. "That's not going to cut it. No pun intended."

"Well, tell me what _will_ cut it." Bridgette requested.

"All right, let me think..." Blaineley said. "Hmm... Next time we do the Aftermath I want you to promote my new movie 'Axe Attack'."

"Really? That's it?" Bridgette asked.

Blaineley nodded in response.

"Sure, I'll promote your movie." Bridgette agreed. "Just promise to act normal, okay?"

"Deal." Blaineley said.

"Great, now let's get back out there before Geoff runs out of stuff to talk about." Bridgette told Blaineley.

The camera switched to back on stage where Geoff was by himself.

"Uh... I've got another funny little story." Geoff said. "So me and a couple of my buds went on a skiing trip last year and then... Uh, I... Ah man, what happened again? Gimme a sec. Trust me, it's really funny."

Blaineley and Bridgette walked back on to the stage and over to Geoff.

"Okay, we're back now." Bridgette told him.

"Phew, that's good." Geoff remarked. "I totally spaced out on what happened on the skiing trip."

"Anyway, let's get on with the show, shall we?" Blaineley said. "Our next interviewee is... Aw dang it, who are they again? I forgot the line. Sorry."

"That's fine." Bridgette told her. "The next contestant we'll be talking to is Anne Maria. She is known for being somewhat hotheaded and was recently eliminated from the game."

"So everyone please give a big round of applause for Anne Maria!" Geoff announced.

The audience applauded as Anne Maria stepped out on to the stage. She waved at them but didn't acknowledge them very much other than that.

"Okay, guess this is happenin'." Anne Maria remarked as she walked across the stage, still waving. "Just keep wavin' 'til you make it to the couch, Annie."

Anne Maria sat down on the couch with the trio of hosts.

"Welcome to the show, Anne." Blaineley told her.

"Hey, accordin' to the backstage guys it usually doesn't take this long. What kept me back there?" Anne Maria asked.

"We really don't want to get into it right now." Bridgette told her.

"Why? Was it somethin' 'bout me?" Anne Maria asked, sounding slightly angry.

"No, nothing about you." Bridgette quickly denied. "Let's just say it was personal and leave it at that."

"All right, fine." Anne Maria said. "Let's move on to the questions or whatever."

"Oh, sure, if you say so." Bridgette told her. "So Anne Maria, we're going to start how we always do. How do you feel about being eliminated?"

"I ain't a fan, lemme tell ya that." Anne Maria remarked. "I really thought I had a chance of makin' it to the end. Or at least makin' it to the merge. Y'know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get it, man." Geoff told her. "I think everyone has high hopes comin' into every season."

"I thought I did pretty well in that last challenge too." Anne Maria added. "If anything, I was the _least_ deserving person to be eliminated."

"You mean the heist thingy?" Blaineley asked.

"Uh huh, that one." Anne Maria said.

"Yeah, I saw some footage from that episode." Blaineley remarked. "You were very competent. Much more than I expected."

"Uh... Thanks?" Anne Maria replied, sounding slightly confused. "Was that one of 'em 'Backhanded Compiment' type of deals."

"Wasn't meant to be, I swear, heh." Blaineley denied. "Hey, are we done with this question?"

"I dunno." Bridgette remarked before looking at Anne Maria. "Well Anne, do you have anything else to say?"

"Hmm... No, I'm kinda just miffed 'bout being eliminated. Nothin' too extreme though." Anne Maria replied.

"All right, let's move on to our next question in that case." Geoff said.

"Great, tell us our next question because I still haven't remembered the lines." Blaineley requested.

"Right, next question." Bridgette repeated before she glanced over at Anne Maria. "So, Anne Maria, this is another question requested by Chris. What are some fun twists he could use in a future season?"

"Would makin' stuff safer and less insane count as a twist? 'Cause I think everyone here would like that a whole lot." Anne Maria replied.

"No, I don't think Chris would consider that a twist." Bridgette told her.

"Aw crap, so much for that idea." Anne Maria said.

"Got any other ideas?" Bridgette asked.

"Uh... I dunno, maybe he can do less virtual reality stuff." Anne Maria remarked. "'Course that's just for me personally, I've been wantin' to get more exercise lately."

"Yeah, I don't really think that's a twist either." Geoff told her. "Try thinking of a twist one last time."

"Hmm... Okay... I ain't really a creative type but I'm tryin'..." Anne Maria trailed off in thought. "Oh! I know, more singing. Y'know, like in season three. That stuff looked fun."

"Eh, it was just okay." Bridgette admitted.

"Yeah, and like, I'm pretty sure Chris doesn't like singing anymore." Geoff added. "He kicked that princess chick off Pahkitew Island for singing too much."

"Well, at least I tried to come up with some ideas." Anne Maria remarked.

"Some people say trying is what counts." Blaineley said. "I don't say it, but some people sure do."

"Right... Um, anyway, let's go to our next question for you." Bridgette said. "Anne Maria, you're known for two things, well mostly, anyway, those things are your spray tan and your hair. Anyway, we were wondering what brand do you use?"

Anne Maria paused for a second and gave the hosts a confused look.

"You guys serious? That's the best question you guys could come up with?" Anne Maria asked.

"Apparently, like, our writers are majorly sleep deprived. So don't blame us." Geoff said.

"Just answer the question, please." Blaineley requested.

"I dunno how to answer. Ya think I pay attention to the brands? I go to the store, look for stuff marked 'Hairspray' or 'Spray Tan', pick it up, and pay for it." Anne Maria told them. "Ain't that interesting a story."

"So you don't know what brand you use?" Bridgette asked.

"I think I have some on me, I can check if ya want." Anne Maria said.

Anne Maria stuck her hand into her enormous hairdo and dug through it for a bit. After a few seconds, she pulled out a can of hairspray.

"Says the brand here is 'Ultra-Hair'. Huh, never heard of it before." Anne Maria remarked. "'Kay, so does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Geoff said.

"And it also gives us a perfect segue into our next question." Bridgette added.

"Wait, it does?" Blaineley asked. "How? I still don't remember anything I was supposed to say."

"Well, our last question about Anne Maria is about her hair again." Bridgette explained.

"All right, lay it on me." Anne Maria said.

"People want to know exactly why you keep stuff in your hair." Bridgette told her. "Isn't that just a bit uncomfortable?"

"Nah, it don't feel weird at all." Anne Maria replied. "Barely feel anything actually."

"But why your hair?" Geoff asked. "Isn't that a little like, weird?"

"Women's pants don't got pockets and usin' a purse just ain't my style." Anne Maria explained. "So, I figured, why not use my hair."

"Well, I guess that kinda makes sense." Geoff said.

"So was that all the questions?" Anne Maria asked. "'Cause I'm feelin' kinda done here."

"Yep, that's everything." Bridgette told her. "Hope you had a good time."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Anne Maria replied. "I'll just go sit down with the rest now."

Anne Maria got up from her chair and sat down in the peanut gallery in the general middle of the area. She looked into the camera that was on her.

"Hey, I don't got nothin' interesting to say." Anne Maria told the camera. "So get outta here."

The camera panned away from Anne Maria and back over to the three hosts.

"All right, that's all the time we have for today." Bridgette told the camera.

"Now hold up, aren't you forgetting something?" Blaineley asked.

"Uh, no, I'm pretty sure I'm remembering everything." Bridgette insisted.

"Are you sure you don't wanna tell people about my latest upcoming film?" Blaineley asked.

Bridgette leaned in closer to Blaineley.

"I thought that wasn't until the _next_ aftermath." Bridgette whispered to her.

"I changed my mind." Blaineley whispered back.

Geoff leaned in towards the two of them.

"Are you dudes gonna go backstage again?" Geoff whispered to them.

"Probably." Bridgette replied.

"That's cool, 'cause I remembered how the skiing story goes." Geoff told them.

"Well, let's go backstage and talk one more time." Blaineley told Bridgette.

Bridgette and Blaineley got up from the couch and walked away from the main area of the stage. The camera followed them into the hallway.

"All right, so what are we talking about this time?" Blaineley asked.

"What exactly do you have against me?" Bridgette asked. "I just want to know that before anything else."

"Oh Bridgette, I don't hate you specifically. I kinda just hate all of you equally." Blaineley explained.

"Okay... But why?" Bridgette continued to ask.

"I just don't think I understand you young people." Blaineley said. "You're all so happy and better looking than me."

"That's a terrible reason to hate us." Bridgette pointed out.

"Look, I promise to play nice as long as you promote my movie." Blaineley explained.

"You told me I only had to do that _next_ Aftermath." Bridgette reminded her.

"Yeah, well, like I said, I changed my mind." Blaineley said. "And as long as you promote my amazing new horror film I'll stay non-aggressive."

"All right, fine. I'll promote the movie." Bridgette replied. "What exactly is the plot anyway?"

"Well, a group of teenagers goes up to an abandoned sawmill that's rumoured to be haunted. But it turns out, that the mill really is haunted by a zombie lumberjack." Blaineley explained.

"Uh huh... Wait, if all the characters are teenagers who do you play?" Bridgette asked.

"Oh, I play the awesome wilderness survivalist who helps the main characters fight the zombie lumberjack." Blaineley went on. "Pretty great role, eh?"

Bridgette looked Blaineley up and down for a moment.

"... I don't see it." Bridgette admitted.

"Well, that's 'cuase I'm not in my makeup or costume yet. But when you see it, it's going to look amazing." Blaineley told her.

"All right, any more information about this movie you're working on?" Bridgette asked.

"Nope, pretty sure that's everything." Blaineley confidently affirmed.

"Okay then, let's get out there and make sure Geoff hasn't forgotten about his story again." Bridgette said.

The camera switched back to the stage where Geoff was still attempting to talk to the audience.

"So then, while we were skiing, we saw like, the biggest moose ever." Geoff told the studio audience. "And then Brody-"

Bridgette and Blaineley wakled back on to the stage.

"Oh, you guys are back." Geoff remarked. "I was just gettin' to the best part."

"Sorry Geoff, it's time to focus on the show now." Bridgette told him.

"Oh, so we're doing the outro now, babe?" Geoff asked.

"Not just yet." Blaineley said. "Bridgette here has an announcement to make."

"Oh, right." Bridgette remembered.

Bridgette stood up from the couch and looked out over the studio audience.

"If you're looking for a great horror movie to watch this October check out the upcoming film 'Axe Attack'." Bridgette told the audience, trying her best to fake enthusiasm. "It stars our very own Blaineley O'Halloran as a wilderness survivalist who helps a group of teenagers fight a zombified lumberjack at an abandoned sawmill. Look for it at your local video store or online streaming service."

Bridgette paused for a second and looked at Blaineley.

"Okay, am I done now?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes you are. Now the episode can end." Blaineley said.

"Phew, there's been way too much backstage drama in this episode for me." Geoff remarked.

"Yep, that's what the main episodes are for." Blaineley added.

"And if you're a fan of that, you should stay tuned for more... Total. Drama. Champions!" Bridgette finished things off.

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. Like I said before, I tried to give this chapter more substance than the last Aftermath. Hopefully, you all found the Blaineley and Bridgette subplot interesting. Anyway, you should get a normal chapter next time so hope you guys are looking forward to that. Anyway, that's all I've got to say about this chapter. Hope you like it.**


	11. Have a Nice Doomsday

**Wow, this one is up way ahead of schedule. I sure hope I didn't rush through things or anything like that. I'm sure it's fine. Anyway, It'll definitely be more exciting than the last Aftermath chapter that's for sure. Speaking of the Aftermath, here's my response to the reviews from the last chapter:**

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Glad you liked the Blaineley and Bridgette plot. I'm thinking about expanding on it further in the Aftermath.

 **And that's it for the reviews. Huh, that was way less than usual. Well, anyway, that's about it for the note. You can move on to the actual chapter now.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our challenge payed homage to the heist genre with one team playing cops and the other playing bank robbers. In the end, despite Anne Maria proving surprisingly useful in the challenge the Actors lost when Sky decided to take one for the team. And at the elimination ceremony, Scott decided that Anne Maria was too big a threat to him and sent her away. Who's gonna be the next one down? I don't know but my money's on the Actors. Seriously, they haven't been doing so hot. But the only way to know for sure is to watch some, Total. Drama. Champions!"

 **(Theme Song)**

On an early morning at the film lot, most of the contestants hadn't woken up yet. Inside the boys' cabin though, Lightning was once again doing his morning exercises. Specifically, sit ups.

"Twenty two… Twenty three… Twenty four…" Lightning counted. "Sha-twenty five!"

Lightning stood up from the ground and pumped his fists in the air in excitement.

"Woo! Twenty five sit ups!" Lightning cheered. "Pretty sweet."

All of Lightning's cheering was loud enough to wake the rest of the boys in the trailer up.

"Jeez, Lightning, are you doing that again…" Scott groaned.

"I thought we told you to stop…" Topher complained.

"Sorry bro, exercise is important to me. I just gotta do it." Lightning said.

"Well can't you do it somewhere else?" Dave asked.

"Yes, maybe somewhere quiet and secluded." Cameron added. "Away from all of us."

"Hmm… All right, I can do that." Lightning remarked.

"Just please let us get some more sleep." Topher requested.

"You got it, I'm goin' outside now." Lightning said.

Lightning exited the trailer leaving the others boys by themselves. There was a long silent pause.

"Y'know, I can't really get back to sleep." Dave admitted.

"Yeah, me neither." Scott said.

"I hate when that happens." Cameron remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

"I'm not a fan of Lightning. We sort of have a history on account of being the two finalists in season four." Cameron said. "But, I can't deny that he's probably at least part of the reason we've been winning so much as of late."

* * *

Meanwhile, over in the girls' cabin, Sky was the only one of the girls that had woken up at the time. She stretched her arm and looked around at the other still asleep competitors. Sky approached where Amy slept and looked over her. After considering it for a bit, Sky poked Amy in the shoulder.

"Psst, Amy, get up." Sky whispered.

Amy stirred in her sleep and looked up at Sky with a very annoyed look on her face.

"What do you want?" Amy mumbled, half-awake.

"Well, I thought since we're in an alliance we could hang out." Sky explained. "And, hey, you look like you're at least moderately athletic so I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a jog or do some warm up stretches."

"Yeah, sure, why not." Amy muttered, still not entirely there. "Let's go do some stretches…"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I'm _really_ not a morning person." Amy admitted. "I have yelled at Samey several times for waking me up early. But if it means getting on Sky's good side, I guess I'll wake up early anyway."

* * *

A little while later, most of the contestants were outside the trailers where they had split off into groups to talk to each other. The camera went and focused on Dave and Scott leaned against one of the trailers as they spoke.

"All right Dave, why do you wanna talk this time?" Scott asked.

"Well, it's just I'm worried." Dave explained.

"Oh yeah?" Scott remarked. "And why's that."

"Haven't you noticed that we're on a bit of a losing streak." Dave said. "It's four of us to six of them."

"Don't worry about it, I got a feeling that things are gonna turn around for us." Scott stated.

"What makes you say that?" Dave asked.

"In this challenge, I'm going to intimidate Topher out of his position as leader and lead us to victory." Scott explained.

"You sure he'll cave in?" Dave asked.

"Trust me, he's a wimp." Scott said.

"All right, if you say so." Dave remarked.

Meanwhile, over by a tree, Shawn and Lightning were having a conversation of their own.

"Yo, so Shawn, do ya have a plan for whatever we're going to do next?" Lightning asked. "'Specially if we lose, it's always important to have an elimination strategy."

"Huh, never saw you as a strategyist, Lightning." Shawn remarked.

"Hey man, football's got a lotta strategy in it." Lightning stated. "Most of it's muscular dudes slammin' into each other but there's also strategy. So anyway, what's your strategy."

"I hadn't really thought about it." Shawn admitted. "With how well we've been doing I figured we wouldn't need one."

"They say being too prideful is the downfall to a lot of great people." A higher pitched male voice remarked.

Lightning and Shawn looked to their right and saw Cameron approaching.

"What'cha doing over here?" Lightning asked.

"Well, I saw you two having a conversation and I thought I could join." Cameron explained. "Although, I do now realize I have very little interest in zombie survival or sports."

"In that case you can get outta here, chicken-legs." Lightning told her. "We're busy."

"Oh… All right…" Cameron trailed off.

The scene switched over to Chris and Chef in a golf cart driving up to the group of competitors.

"Morning everyone!" Chris cheered as their cart got closer. "How are my favourite people on this fine morning?"

"Sleepy…" Sierra yawned.

"Great, that sounds like it'll make for hilarious TV." Chris remarked. "Anyway, since I'm here it can only mean two things! Number one, our speak system is still broken. And number two…"

Chris trailed off in wait of an answer.

"It's time for a challenge?" Gwen hazarded a guess.

"Ding, ding, ding! That is correct!" Chris cheered. "Chef! Tell her what she's won!"

"The hell is the wrong with you?" Chef asked. "You ain't usually like this."

"I might be a little hyped up on caffine." Chris admitted. "Also, I went to bed at midnight and woke up at four thirty in the morning last night. But regardless-"

"Hold on, now you've gotta tell us what you were doing." Gwen told him.

"Yeah, now we're all curious and stuff." Sierra added.

"Uh huh, it just isn't normal to have that sleep pattern unless you're like a crazy party animal." Amy agreed. "Which, uh, you sure don't look like."

"Ooh! Ooh! If you were at a party can I blog about it?" Sierra requested. "Pretty please?"

"Okay, you know what, for being so nosy, now none of you get to know anything." Chris stated.

"You realize that just makes us more curious, right?" Topher remarked.

"All right, how about you just get to the warehouse and stop asking so many questions that'll never be answered." Chris told them. "Seriously, warehouse. Now!"

Chris looked over at his co-host.

"Chef! Get me out!" Chris stated.

"Jeez, no need to yell." Chef remarked as he began to drive away.

"Heh, sorry." Chris apologized. "Anyway, to the warehouse!"

"Again with the yelling…" Chef mumbled as he continued to drive.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Chris may think we'll never figure out why he slept like that but I have my ways." Sierra stated. "Not to brag, but I'm best known for knowing things I'm not supposed to know."

* * *

A little while later, the group had arrived at the usual warehouse full of virtual reality equipment. Chris and Chef had already arrived and a golf cart could be seen parked in a nearby corner.

"All right people, glad you could make it." Chris remarked. "With how much of a delay we had earlier I'm not going to waste any time. Let's just get right into the rules for this challenge."

"Sha-sweet, lay it on us." Lightning said.

"This challenge is based of a certain subgenre of horror." Chris explained. "And that would be… Zombie movies!"

"Yes!" Shawn enthusiastically cheered. "Hell yes!"

The other contestants looked at Shawn with confused looks on their faces.

"Heh, sorry, just got a little excited right there." Shawn apologized. "I've just been waiting for this thing for a while."

"Anyway, in this challenge each of you is a group of apocalypse survivors in a mid-sized Canadian town." Chris explained. "The goal of this challenge is to escape from the zombies."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Sky remarked.

"Trust me, it is." Chris told her. "Now, there are three ways you can do it. By air, by land, and by water."

"Ooh, sounds fun." Topher remarked.

"If you choose by air you need to find a signal flare and make it to the top of the local hospital where you can signal the helicopter to come get you." Chris continued. "By land you need to get a can of gasoline and use it to fill up a broken down car. And in by water you need to find the tools to fix up the engine of a speedboat down by the river. Whichever you choose, it won't be easy. Of, and of course there are zombies everywhere."

"Okay, now it sounds very hard." Sky admitted.

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, actually." Chris replied. "We're having another steam switch! Topher, get on over to the other team!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can't just switch me over all of a sudden!" Topher protested.

"Uh, I'm the host, I make the rules." Chris stated. "So as I said, Topher, you're now on the Directors."

"Well who does our team get?" Gwen asked. "You know, in exchange."

"Nobody." Chris bluntly told them.

"What?!" Gwen exclaimed in disbelief.

"This is just unfair." Dave pointed out.

"Yeah, first making a zombie challenge when the other team has an apocalypse specialist and now this." Gwen added.

"What's even the point of doing this?" Topher asked.

"I wanna see if it's possible for a team of three to win a challenge." Chris explained.

"Do we at least get Topher back when it's over?" Dave asked.

"Nope." Chris stated. "Now, just so we're clear, Topher's on the Directors and the Actors are now a team of three. Now everyone get to your chairs and we can start the challenge!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I'm okay with Topher not being here." Scott remarked. "Not only does it mean I get to be in charge, but now it's super easy for me and Dave to team up against Gwen."

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I'm real mad about this whole team switch, all right." Gwen told the camera. "Not only is our team outnumbered even more than before but we're doing a challenge that one of the other team members specializes in zombie survival. I'm pretty sure we're doomed.

* * *

Inside the virtual world, the members of the Directors had just found themselves inside of an abandoned gas station. Outside it was dark out and several zombies were aimlessly wandering around. Shawn looked out the gas station window and out at the zombies.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be great, right guys?" Shawn remarked.

"Easy for you to say..." Cameron replied. "I'm terrified already."

"Let's talk about those three approaches." Amy suggested. "Would it be easier to take the car, the helicopter, or the boat?"

"The car, obviously." Lightning told her. "We're already in a gas station, man. It's gotta be super easy, right?"

"Yeah, I agree with you." Shawn said. "If we need to find a gas can what better place to start than a gas station?"

"Would they have it in the convenice store part of the gas station?" Sky wondered.

"Well, the only way to know for sure is to look around." Sierra remarked.

"That's exactly what I was going to say." Shawn said. "All right everyone, start searching for a gas can."

"All of us?" Topher asked.

"Yep, everyone." Shawn said. "Now seriously, everyone get searching. If it's not in here we might have to start breaking open zombie's heads. Which would be awesome, by the way."

" _But_ , we'd like to avoid that, right?" Cameron added.

"Oh, yes, definitely." Shawn quickly said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I might have been a little too enthusiastic about his challenge." Shawn admitted. "But I can't help it, I've been waiting for a chance to use my skills in a real situation for a while now."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of an abandoned sporting goods store, the three members of the Actors had found themselves in there.

"Wow, there are a lot of fishing rods in here." Dave remarked.

"Really, we're in the middle of the zombie apocalypse and _that's_ the first thing you say?" Scott said.

"Guys, can we please not argue?" Gwen requested.

"You're right, let's get a grip on the situation." Scott decided. "Dave, go check how many zombies there are outside."

"Wh-why me?" Dave nervously asked.

"Just do it so we can make things go faster." Scott said.

"Oh, okay." Dave replied.

Dave walked over to the window of the sporting goods shop and saw several zombies wandering the street outside.

"Uh... They look pretty scary." Dave remarked.

"Okay, but how many are there?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, and are they trying to get in?" Gwen added.

"Looks like there are about six in this general area." Dave replied. "And no, they don't seem to know we're in here."

"Phew, that's a relief." Gwen remarked. "Wouldn't want them attacking us right off the bat. So, uh, how do you think we should escape?"

"I'm thinking helicopter." Scott replied.

"Uh, why that one?" Gwen asked. "If anything, we should go for the car. That one sounds the easiest."

"Exactly, it sounds the easiest which means the other team must have thought of it too." Scott said. "Plus there's no way you could fit seven people into a helicopter or speedboat. So they're obviously going for the car."

"Uh, what if they thought we chose the car because they thought we thought it'd be the easiest one?" Dave suggested.

"What the hell did you just say?" Scott asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Dave admitted.

"Look, let's just stick to the helicopter plan, okay." Scott told his two teammates.

"Hold on, shouldn't we look at the boat option too." Gwen said.

"Tell you what, this is a sporting goods store. They probably have signal flares _and_ tools in here. Let's look for both and then decide." Scott told her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"As much as I wanted to get rid of Gwen, I couldn't throw the challenge." Scott explained. "I know if we lost we'd get rid of her, but that'd reduce the team to just me and Dave. And I'm not exactly sure how much longer 'til the merge. So I'll just have to put up with Gwen for now."

* * *

Bak at the gas station, the members of the Directors had spread out to various different parts of the store in search of a gas can. Cameron and Sierra were behind the gas station's counter together.

"See anything yet?" Sierra asked as she shifted through a pile of newspapers and magazines.

"No, uh, not yet." Cameron told her. "Sierra, I have a quick question."

"Oh, what is it?" Sierra replied.

"Well, are you sure you aren't going to go crazy over me again, like in All-Stars?" Cameron asked. "It's just, we're on the same team and Cody isn't around. It makes me nervous is all."

"You don't have to worry. Even without Cody's cute face around I promise not to obsess over your cute face." Sierra told him.

"Oh... Thank you, I think." Cameron remarked.

"Yep, don't worry. Even though both of you have the same adorable body type I will _not_ confuse the two of you." Sierra went on.

"You're not helping." Cameron said.

Sierra and Cameron kept digging through the junk behind the counter. Cameron moved a phonebook out of the way to reveal a gas can under the counter.

"Wow, I found it!" Cameron cheered.

He grabbed the gas can and stood up.

"Hey everyone, I found what we were looking for!" Cameron announced.

The rest of the team clustered around Cameron and Sierra's area.

"All right, this is a major step forward." Sky remarked.

"Hand it over, bro." Lightning said. "Now all we gotta do is find a car."

Cameron gave the gas can to Lightning who shook it up only for no sound to be heard inside.

"Dude, this thing's empty." Lightning realized.

"Oh... No wonder I was able to pick it up." Cameron remarked.

"Okay, we just gotta fill it up." Topher said. "That can't be hard, can it?"

"Uh, remember the zombies." Amy told him, pointing to the windows.

Topher looked over and saw the zombies wandering the gas station parking lot.

"Oh, right." Topher remembered. "Okay, this might be a bit difficult then."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I'm not too sure how I feel about this new team." Topher admitted. "It all happened very suddenly... I'm sure I'll get used to it in time."

* * *

Back in the sporting goods store, the trio of teammates had gone to a different area of the shop in search of supplies. Various bits of supplies were strewn about the floor and the items on the shelves were all jumbled up.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who searched here for supplies." Gwen remarked.

"There'd better be signal flares or a toolbox in here." Dave said.

"I'm sure there's _something_." Scott told him. "I just don't know what."

"Hey, do we need like, matches or a lighter if we find a signal flare?" Gwen asked.

"Hmm... Probably." Scott realized. "Grab some of those if you find them."

"Got it." Gwen replied as the team walked through the trashed aisle.

They walked in silence for several moments until Dave stepped on a can of bug spray which caused him to slip and land on his back.

"Ugh... Dammit..." Dave mumbled.

Gwen and Scott went over to help him back up from the floor.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Gwen asked.

"I guess so. It doesn't hurt. It's just really annoying." Dave replied stil on the ground. "Wait... Hang on..."

"What is it?" Scott asked.

"I think I see something." Dave remarked. "Something orange and stick shaped."

"Huh?" Scott said. "What're you talking about."

"A signal flare, that's what." Dave said as he stood up.

Dave went over to one of the shelves and reached under it. He pulled a signal flare out from under it and stared at it for a moment.

"Huh, looks like we don't need a lighter." Dave remarked.

"Well, let's get to the hospital then." Gwen said. "It's all uphill from here."

"Uh, there are still zombies outside." Scott pointed out.

"Oh... Right." Gwen realized. "Well, let's pick up some weapons from here and get to the hospital."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"This three person team thing, not too sure how to feel about it." Dave admitted. "On one hand, Topher was kind of annoying and I'm a little glad he's gone. On the other hand, now there's only three of us."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the gas station, the members of the Directors were standing in front of the doors to the store area of the station trying to decide what to do.

"So... We gotta get past these zombies, fill up this gas cand, and find a car." Sky said. "Shawn, do your thing."

"Right, right, I'm the expert here." Shawn replied. "Well, we're gonna need weapons first of all."

"I don't think there are many guns lying around a convenience store." Amy pointed out.

"Well, then you'll have to improvise." Shawn told her. "Wrenches, baseball bats, screwdrivers, lead pipes, all of these are valid options."

"I get a big squeamish when it comes to the violence." Cameron spoke up. "Do I have to do any fighting?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda with him on that. Woudln't wanna get blood on my nice shirt." Topher added.

"It's not even your real shirt, idiot." Amy told him.

"Tell you what, you two don't have to fight." Shawn told Topher and Cameron.

"Seriously?" Sky asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"Let me finish." Shawn said. "Instead, they can collect the gasoline. One of them can hold the can and the other can pump the gas."

"All right, I'm okay with that." Topher said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I don't really understand, y'know, _the point_ of Topher being on our team." Amy remarked. "I mean sure, it's like, cool to have an extra teammate... But couldn't Chris have picked someone less useless... Hmm... Maybe that's _why_ he chose Topher. Wouldn't put it past him."

* * *

A few moments had passed and the team had gathered random items from around the store. Mostly tools like garden shears, hammers, and screwdrivers.

"All right, let's go out there and pump some gas!" Shawn ordered his team.

"Huh, you actually managed to make that sentance sound cool." Sky remarked.

"Thank you." Shawn said. "But seriously guys, let's go."

"But I'm scared." Cameron commented.

"Don't worry little girl, we've totally got this." Lightning confidently said. "Woo! Let's sha-go!"

Lightning pushed open the door and walked out into the parking lot with the other teammates slowly following behind. The Directors caught the attention of the zombies as they slowly began to shamble towards them.

"Uh oh, this doesn't look good." Sky remarked.

"Don't worry, we can take them." Shawn confidently said as he raised his hammer. "Just remember to destroy the head."

"Please just protect me..." Topher nervously requested.

Cameron nodded in agreement.

"All right, c'mon, let's start walking to the gas pumps." Shawn told his teammates.

The team walked as a group towards the nearest gas pump as the zombies started to surround them. One of the zombies got close enough to Amy to try and reach out to grab her.

"Get away from me you creep!" Amy shouted.

Amy drove the screwdriver she was carrying into the zombie's head. The zombie collapsed to the ground shortly after.

"Ah jeez! That's gross!" Amy complained.

As they got closer to the pump, another zombie got within grabbing distance of Lightning.

"Oh no ya don't!" Lightning cheered as he bashed the zombie across the head with a wrench causing it to fall down.

The group made it over to the gas pump.

"Okay you two, start pumping while we hold the zombies off." Shawn told them.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"It was _so_ _awesome_ to fight zombies!" Shawn cheered. "Even if they weren't real. Almost makes me wish the actual apocalypse would happen."

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the empty streets of the city the Actors were wandering in search of the hospital together. It appeared that all three of them had taken weapons from the sporting goods store. Dave had grabbed a golf club while Gwen had a baseball bat and finally Scott had taken a hunting rifle.

"Haven't seen any zombies for a while." Dave remarked. "I'm not sure if I should be worried about that or not."

"Let's just try to find the hospital." Gwen told him. "... Wherever that is."

"I'm sure it can't be that hard to find." Scott confidently remarked. "Usually, hospitals are pretty big buildings."

"Hmm, I guess you've got a point there." Dave said.

The three of them turned a corner into an alleyway and saw at the end of the alleyway was a hospital on the other side of the street.

"Huh, talk about weird timing." Gwen remarked.

"C'mon, let's go." Scott said.

The group began to walk down the alley together with some caution to them.

"How many zombies do you think are in there?" Dave wondered as they walked.

"Probably a lot." Scott replied.

"Have you ever heard of being reassuring?" Dave asked.

As they walked through the alley a zombie stumbled out of an open door coming out of the left building.

"Ah!" Gwen screamed at the zombie.

She bashed it in the head with her baseball bat causing it to fall to the ground and remain motionless.

"Don't startle us like that!" Gwen told the zombie.

"There's probably gonna be more of that in the hospital." Scott pointed out.

"Seriously, stop making us frightened." Dave told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"The main downside to my alliance with Dave is that he's kind of a wimp." Scott remarked. "But hey, as long as he votes for who I say, I'll put up with it."

* * *

The Actors were now right in front of the abandoned hospital. They stood in front of the main doors not going in just yet.

"Okay... So what's the plan here?" Gwen asked.

"Well, the elevators are probably broken." Scott remarked.

"What makes you say that." Dave said.

"Because if they were working this challenge would be too easy." Scott told him.

"Okay, fair point." Dave remarked.

"In that case we have to use the stairs." Gwen said.

"Yep, pretty much." Scott said. "Hope you two like climbing and fighting zombies."

"I sure _don't_." Dave told him.

"Too bad." Scott replied. "Let's get to the roof, now!"

With that, Scott confidently pushed open the door.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I'm not sure I like Scott being leader." Gwen admitted. "I mean, Topher seemed like kind of an idiot but at least he was polite."

* * *

Back at the gas station, Topher stood pumping gas into the can held up by Cameron. Around them several zombies lay on the ground and all their teammates stood near.

"Okay guys, are you done filling up yet?" Sky asked.

"Yep, just finished." Topher replied.

He put took the gas pump out of the can and put it away.

"Can someone carry this for me..." Cameron weakly requested. "It's very heavy..."

"I got'cha, small girl." Lightning said as he grabbed the gas can out of Cameron's arms.

"I'm still not a girl." Cameron told him.

"All right, all that's is that we gotta find a car." Shawn told his teammates.

"And it has to hold seven people." Sky added.

"Yeah, it needs to be a van or something." Amy went on.

"Anyone see a car like that?" Sierra asked.

The members of the Directors looked around the parking lot and saw no vehicles matching that description.

"Huh, this might be a little hard." Sierra said.

"Okay everyone let's look around this city and try to find a van." Shawn instructed his teammates. "Everyone, follow me."

Shawn began to walk away from the gas station and down the dark streets.

"C'mon guys, I said _follow me_." Shawn encouraged them.

"It still seems a little scary." Cameron remarked.

"Man, don't be such a coward." Lightning told him.

Lightning began wakling towards Shawn.

"Yeah, what he said." Amy added as she too walked in the direction Shawn went.

With that the contestants began to follow Shawn, some somewhat reluctantly, down the street.

"I sure hope we can find a car before we get attacked by more zombies." Sky remarked.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Topher replied. "We've made it this far, right."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I wasn't too sure how to react to Topher being on our team at first." Sky admitted. "But I guess I do kinda like the positive energy he brings to the team."

* * *

Back in the hospital, the Actors were walking up a stairwell towards the roof. On the landing below them lay a dead zombie.

"How many floors have we gone up again?" Dave asked, sounding a mix of exhausted and annoyed.

"Fifteen." Gwen answered.

"And how many are left?" Dave continued to ask.

"Five." Gwen said.

"I don't think I can last that long." Dave admitted.

"It'll all be worth it once we're at the top." Scott told him.

"Okay, I'll try." Dave said. "The least I can hope for is no more zombies."

The group got to the top of the next flight of stairs just in time to see a trio of zombies walk through the doorway.

"Ah dammit, here we go again." Scott remarked.

Scott fired a shot from his hunting rifle that hit one of the zombies in the chest causing it to fall down dead. He tried to fire another shot but nothing happened.

"I'm out of bullets!" Scott realized. "You guys have to take care of it."

"Uh, do I have to?" Dave asked.

"Ugh, I'll do it." Gwen said.

Gwen ran up the stairs towards the slowly advancing zombies. She bashed the first zombie in the head causing it to fall over before quickly turning around to slam the second zombie in the face which also fell to the ground.

"I did it!" Gwen cheered. "C'mon guys, let's keep moving."

Before she could do that she was caught of guard when one of the zombies she thought she killed quickly reached up and grabbed her by the leg.

"Gah!" Gwen exclaimed in surprise. "Someone get this guy off me!"

She attempted to swing at the zombie but in her panic missed. Dave ran up the stairs to where Gwen was and smashed the zombie over the head with his golf club.

"Ugh... Gross..." Dave mumbled.

"Uh, thanks for that." Gwen remarked.

"Okay people, let's get to the top for real now." Scott told the other two as he got closer to them.

He looked at Gwen and noticed what appeared to be claw marks on one of her legs.

"Ah jeez, your leg looks messed up." Scott realized. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Oh wow, I did not notice that." Gwen said, looking down at her legs. "That looks bad."

"Uh oh, does this mean you're gonna turn into a zombie?" Dave asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure you have to be bitten." Gwen told him. "This is just a scartch mark."

"I dunno, I've seen some movies where getting scratched infects you too." Scott said.

"Let's just keep walking and see what happens." Gwen replied as she continued on up the stairs.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Ugh, this challenge made me never want to watch a zombie." Dave shuddered.

* * *

Out in the empty streets, the Directors wandered around in search of a car.

"See any vans yet?" Sky asked.

"Or _any_ type of seven-person car." Amy added.

"Nope, nothing yet." Lightning said.

"I'm sure we'll find something soon." Topher remarked.

Sierra looked around the street until her eyes fell on a black van parked in a street corner several yards ahead of them.

"Ooh, guys!" Sierra cheered. "I see a car we can use!"

Sierra pointed over at where she saw the van and the rest of the Directors looked where she was pointing.

"All right, nice find Sierra." Shawn told her.

"Pfft, she was just lucky." Amy said.

"C'mon guys, let's get closer." Shawn instructed.

The group went over to the van slowly and cautiously.

"Wow, I wonder if it's really going to be this easy." Topher remarked.

"Well, now that you've said that it definitely _won't_ be easy." Amy told him.

The group got close enough to the van to see that sitting in the drivers seat was a zombie that appeared to be restrained by a seatbelt.

"Ah dang it, you're right." Topher said to Amy.

"So, uh, do we find another car now?" Cameron asked.

"Nope, we need to get that zombie out." Shawn told him.

"I was afraid you'd say that." Cameron replied.

"So who wants to do it?" Sky asked.

Nobody replied to this question.

"Well, somebody has to." Sierra remarked.

"Shawn, you're a zombie expert. You go take care of this." Lightning told him.

"Huh? What?" Shawn replied. "Oh, all right, yeah. That makes sense. Here I go."

Shawn walked over to the drivers side of the van and opened the door. The zombie reached out and tried to grab him but their seatbelt kept them from touching the conspiracy theorist.

"Hey, which one of you had the lead pipe?" Shawn asked. "I think I need a weapon with some reach."

"Here ya go." Sierra said as she extended the metal pipe she held towards Shawn.

"Thanks." Shawn replied as he grabbed it out of her hands. "Okay, operation zombie neutralization is a go."

The zombie tried to reach out to him again but was quickly struck in the face with the lead pipe causing their body to grow limp. Once he was sure they were no longer moving, Shawn unbuckled the zombie from their seat and they almost immediately fell out of the van.

"Ugh, so disgusting..." Amy murmured.

"Come on gang! Let's fill this car up and go!" Shawn cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I didn't really like the zombie challenge." Sierra admitted. "Personally, I like to watch movies where good things happen."

* * *

Back at the hospital, the Actors had made it to the tail end of the stairwell.

"Have we made it yet..." Dave whined.

"Actually, it looks like we have." Scott told him as he looked up at the door at the top of the staircase.

"Oh thank god." Dave said.

The trio made it to the top of the staircase and Scott pushed open the door. As soon as the roof was revealed to them they saw a zombie on the other side. Scott quickly bashed it in the face with the back end of his rifle.

"Ugh! I'm never going to watch another zombie movie again!" Scott complained. "This is just miserable."

The three of them stepped out on to the roof and looked around.

"I see the helipad." Gwen pointed to a circle with a big "H" on it in the middle of the roof.

"Okay, I'll go light the flare." Scott told the two of them. "Dave, make sure Gwen doesn't become a zombie. And if she does, hit her in the head with your club."

"Wow, thanks for that." Gwen sacastically said.

"Just taking precautions." Scott stated.

Scott walked away towards the helipad to try and light the flare. Gwen and Dave stood in silence for a few moments until Dave looked down at Gwen's scratched up leg.

"That doesn't look good..." Dave nervously remarked.

"I'm not going to become a zombie." Gwen told him. "I'm confident in that."

"Just because you _think_ that doesn't mean it won't happen." Dave replied.

"Do you even think you're going to be able to hurt me if I become a zombie?" Gwen asked.

"Probably not." Dave admitted. "Which means you'll probably either turn me into a zombie or just eat my brains. Neither of which I'm looking forward to."

"I already said it. I'm _not_ a zombie." Gwen told him.

Scott walked back over to his teammates.

"Okay guys, I set up the flare." Scott told them.

Scott pointed over to the signal flare which was now emiting a bright light and a visible puff of smoke.

"Now all that's left is playing the waiting game." Scott said. "Which unfortunately, is a game I hate."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I didn't really have a good time in this challenge to be honest." Scott admitted. "Not only did playing on a three person team suck but it turns out, being in a zombie apocalypse is a lot less fun than watching people in the movies in a zombie apocalypse."

* * *

Meanwhile, back with the van, most of the contestants had piled into it with the exception of Lightning who was busy pouring the gas into the tank.

"All right dudes, we're almost done here." Lightning told his teammates. "We've almost won. Sha-woo!"

Lightning poured the last drops of the gas can into the tank before tossing the can to the side.

"All right, someone open the back doors fo me." Lightning requested.

Sky opened up the van's back door's and Lightning got inside.

"Yo Shawn, we're all set." Lightning told him. "Let's hit the road and end this challenge."

"Got it." Shawn replied.

"Oh by the way, Shawn, thanks for sitting in the zombie seat when nobody else wanted to." Topher added. "Seriously, that stuff's gross."

"Well, it's actually an advantage." Shawn said. "If you smell like them, they'll be less likely to eat you."

"Oh my god, please stop talking." Amy told him. "Just hit the road already."

Shawn quickly nodded and started up the car. He drove down the street and turned the corner where up ahead a foursome of zombies shambled up the street.

"Uh, you might want to take a different route." Cameron advised him.

"Nope, I'm going right _through_ them." Shawn stated.

Shawn accelerated the car and it gained speed as it approached the zombies. The van ran over the zombies and went on as if nothing happened.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Shawn cheered. "Almost makes me excited for doomsday. Now c'mon, guys. let's try to find our way out of this crazy town."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Shawn's a nice guy but he can be a bit _intense_ sometimes." Sky told the camera.

* * *

Back on the hospital's roof, the three Actors still stood around in wait of the helicopter.

"Are you sure it's gonna be here?" Dave asked. "Because I feel like I've been waiting for a while now."

"Chris said that a helicopter would be here if we lit a flare." Scott stated. "We just have to be patient."

"I hope it's getting here soon." Gwen remarked. "I'm not feeling very good."

"Oh no!" Dave suddenly exclaimed. "Are you becoming a zombie?"

"What, no." Gwen denied. "I'm going to be fine. So don't bash my skull in with a golf club, all right?"

"Right, right, sorry." Dave apologized. "But if you do become a zombie, we're probably going to do that."

"I guess that's understandable." Gwen admitted. "But I _won't_ become the living dead, all right."

"Hold on, I see the chopper coming now." Scott told the others.

Scott pointed up to a military helicopter that was approaching the hospital roof.

"All right, we're saved!" Dave cheered. "Thank god."

The helicopter landed on the pad and Gwen and Dave ran towards their escape vehicle while Gwen limped towards it at a slightly slower pace. All three of them got inside the helicopter with Scott sitting next to the pilot and Gwen and Dave sitting in the back.

"Are you the ones who used the signal flare?" The helicopter pilot asked.

"Yep, that's us." Scott told him. "Now fly us out of here as fast as you can."

"Right away." The helicopter pilot replied.

The helicopter began to lift off from the ground.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I feel like going for the helicopter was the best option." Scott remrked. "Mostly 'cause none of us had to drive."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Directors were still in there van driving around to get out of town.

"Jeez, I wish we had a map." Lightning remarked.

"Yeah, it kinda feels like we've been going in circles." Sky added.

"Don't worry, we've gotta get out of here at some point." Shawn said.

"Yeah, but the other team could get out before us." Amy pointed out.

"Hate to say it, but Amy's right here." Cameron remarked.

"Thank you." Amy said.

"Don't worry, we'll be out soon." Shawn stated. "I can feel it."

"Well, I sure hope you're right." Sierra said.

Topher looked out the window and saw the other team's helicopter flying above them.

"Hey, is that a helicopter?" Topher asked.

Shawn looked in the direction Topher had his head turned and saw the helicopter flying towards them.

"Oh no, you're right." Shawn realized.

"Step on it, man!" Lightning urged him. "We gotta get outta here before the other dudes do."

Shawn rapidly nodded and sped up the van.

"I still don't know where I'm going." Shawn admitted. "But I have a good feeling about it this time."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I'd just like the record to show that I'd be way more prepared in an _actual_ zombie Armageddon." Shawn stated.

* * *

Back up in the helicopter, the Actors were patiently sitting around while the pilot did all the work.

"So can this thing go any faster?" Scott asked the helicopter pilot.

"It can." The pilot said. "But I don't want to crash."

"All right, fair enough." Scott remarked.

Scott looked behind him to Dave and Gwen.

"You two holding up okay?" Scott asked them.

"I'm fine but I'm still a little worried about Gwen." Dave admitted.

"Stop it... I'm fine..." Gwen murmured.

"You're looking a little pale actually." Scott remarked.

"I'm always pale." Gwen pointed out.

"Yeah but, more than usual." Scott said.

"I'm not becoming a zombie." Gwen insisted.

"If she's a zombie we're gonna have to throw her out of the copter." The pilot stated.

"Oh my god, for the last time I'm _fine_." Gwen said. "So why don't you just..."

Gwen trailed off and began to glow a white light.

"Oh, that can't be good." Dave said.

After a flash of white light, Gwen was still there but the clearly didn't look like herself. Her eyes were white and empty and her skin was slickly pale.

"Oh no... Gwen's a zombie now!" Dave realized.

"Throw her out of the helicopter!" Scott ordered him.

Dave grabbed his golf club and wildly waved it at Gwen to get her away.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I was actually just sent back to the real world after I became a zombie." Gwen explained. "Still, it's gonna be weird to see the computer zombie version of myself when I watch this on TV."

* * *

Back down in the van, the Directors were speeding through the streets trying to find their way out of the town. The helicopter was still near the van.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Sierra asked.

"I've been following the helicopter." Shawn explained. "They seem to know where they're going so it seems like the most logical thing to do."

"Huh, I guess that does make sense." Sierra said.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Lightning remarked.

"What makes you say that?" Shawn asked.

"They're shakin' _a lot_." Lightning stated.

Lightning pointed up at their helicopter which was now moving in an erratic pattern.

"Huh, well, I feel like that's not good for them." Shawn remarked

"But if they crash it's probably good news for us." Sky said.

"Uh, why do you think they're driving like that exactly?" Cameron asked.

"I don't know." Shawn admitted. "Whatever the reason is, it probably doesn't concern us."

"Oh my god!" Topher exclaimed. "I think someone just fell out of the helicopter."

Topher pointed to a figure slowly falling towards the ground from the aircraft that contained the opposing team.

"Actually, it looks like they're going to land on _us_ if we keep driving forward." Sky realized.

Upon hearing this, Shawn slammed the breaks of the car.

"You idiot, don't stop!" Amy yelled at him.

Before the conversation could continued the zombified body of Gwen landed on the car's hood.

"Ah!" Cameron exclaimed. "What was that?!"

Shaw rolled down the window and stuck his head out of it. He got a god view of the zombie Gwen in the street.

"Oh my god, it looks like Gwen." Shawn remarked.

"Oh dear, we should help her." Cameron suggested.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure she's dead." Amy pointed out.

"No, there hasn't been a white light yet." Shawn argued.

Gwen's zombified body rose from the ground and slowly began to stumble towards the Directors.

"Shawn! Run her over!" Amy ordered.

"H-hold on, I'm getting second thoughts." Shawn admitted. "Y'know, it's somebody I recognize. She was on our team."

"Run her over! We need to win this!" Amy shouted at him.

The Gwen zombies shambled over to Shawn's side of the van and pounded on the door with its fists.

"Ack!" Shawn exclaimed.

"Hey, where'd the other team's chopper go?" Lightning asked as he looked out the window to see that the helicopter was no longer in sight.

Directly after saying that, all the Directors began to glow yellow.

"Uh oh, looks like we lost..." Topher realized.

"Well, at least Gwen's zombie isn't a problem now." Cameron remarked.

After a big flash of white light, all the Directors disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"How?! How did we lose this challenge!?" Amy raged. "There were seven of us and three of them! We had the numbers! Grr... They'll pay for this."

* * *

Back in the real world, the contestants came out of the machines as their visors went up.

"Yes! We did it!" Dave cheered. "Even with the three person disadvantage _and_ Gwen becoming a zombie!"

"Yep, we're pretty great." Scott added.

"Yeah, nice work without me." Gwen said before turning to Topher. "And since we won does that mean we get Topher back?"

"Nope, he's still with the other team." Chris answered.

"Oh come on, why?" Gwen asked, sounding annoyed.

"Becaus I'm the host and I say so." Chris replied.

"God, you are so irritating sometimes." Gwen remarked.

"Thank you, I try my best." Chris said. "Anyway, Actors, you're safe for tonight and Directors have to vote somebody off. But until then, you've at got a meal Chef has prepared for you all."

The scene switched over to the cafeteria some time after the challenge. The only people at the Directors table were Cameron, Topher, and Sierra but the Actors table was full. The camera focused on the latter group.

"Wow, I still can't believe we actually won." Gwen remarked.

"How much longer can we keep it up though?" Dave asked.

"Well, I don't think we have to keep it up." Scott stated. "I mean, the merge has to be coming soon, right?"

"Hmmm, guess you have a point." Dave said. "What do you think Gwen?"

"Hmm, what?" Gwen asked. "I kinda lost track of what you were saying."

"Why's that?" Dave said.

"There's almost nobody over at the other team's table." Gwen pointed over to the three Directors at their table.

"Huh, well, I can think of two explanations." Scott said. "Either they _really_ hated Chef's food today or some kind of alliance thing is going on and they wanted to talk in private. Both options are equally likely if you ask me."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Y'know I really do hope the merge happens soon." Scott admitted. "'Cause I'm gonna be honest, we mostly just got lucky today."

* * *

Meanwhile, over inside the boys' cabin, Lightning and Shawn were having a conversation. Lightning had leaned himself agaist one of the walls and Shawn was sitting on one of the beds.

"Okay dude, we gotta play things smart." Lightning told him. "Who do ya think we should get rid of?"

"Well, let's look at some possible weak links." Shawn said.

"Oh, that's easy. Cameron, Amy, and the two guys from the other team." Lightning stated. "Which one should we go for?"

"I say Amy because her personality is the worst thing ever." Shawn replied. "But she looks mildly athletic so maybe not."

"Yeah, same with the purple haired girl." Lightning added. "She did pretty good at that jousting thing a few challenges ago so maybe we should keep her too."

"Well, that just leaves Cameron and Topher." Shawn said. "Which one do you think we should go for?"

"Hmm... How 'bout we give the new guy another chance." Lightning suggested. "And now that I think 'bout it, Cam's at least smart lookin'. Let's go back to our Amy plan. I don't really like her."

"All right, sure, I'll go for it." Shawn decided. "Less Amy is something I can get behind."

"Sha-awesome." Lightning said. "See ya at the ceremony."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I feel like this whole thing with Shawn is gonna work out great." Lightning stated. "Pretty soon, it'll be the two of us at the final two."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"This accidental alliance with Lightning is... Less than ideal." Shawn admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have an alliance. I just didn't expect it to be with him is all."

* * *

Meanwhile, over in the girls' cabin, Amy and Sky were having a similar conversation. Sky lay down on her bed while Amy paced about.

"Think Sky, think. Who do we want to send away?" Amy asked. "Who's our biggest threat?"

"Uh, I dunno, let me think some more." Sky said. "Maybe we should just get rid of Topher 'cause he's new?"

"No, we need more strategy than that." Amy stated. "I'm thinking we vote off Shawn."

"He's a nice guy, I don't wanna get rid of him." Sky remarked.

"You can't win by being nice." Amy told her. "Plus, after seeing how he did today, he's clearly a threat. So the sooner we get rid of him the better. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, but... Can't we at least _consider_ some other options?" Sky asked.

"All right, fine." Amy said. "Who would _you_ like to vote off?"

"Maybe Cameron. I like him and all but he isn't exactly athletic." Sky remarked. "And I don't exactly remember him doing that much in this challenge."

"Okay, sure, you have a point." Amy admitted. "We'll vote for Cameron tonight."

"Awesome, great." Sky said.

"But next time, Shawn's going down. Anyway, see you at the ceremony." Amy said. "Oh, and just in case, use your idol. I have a feeling someone is out to get me this time."

"Right, I'll be sure to do that." Sky replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm starting to regret this alliance with Amy just a little bit." Sky admitted. "I mean, it's good to have someone on my side. It's just I wish she had a better personality."

* * *

The scene changed to Chris up on stage with the Directors out in the bleachers.

"Okay, I certainly did not expect this outcome today." Chris admitted. "I mean, three against seven has a pretty predictable outcome that did _not_ happen."

"Can you just skip the taunting and go straight to the voting?" Amy requested.

"All right, somebody sure is cranky." Chris said. "But, as you wish. No more jokes out of me. All of you get to the confessional and vote!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a photo of Cameron.

"Look, Cameron, you're very smart and very nice." Sky began. "But... I just feel like you're not doing very much right now. Sorry. Oh, and before I forget..."

Sky took her idol out of her pocket.

"I'm using this to cancel the vote of..." Sky considered her options for a second. "Lightning. I feel like he might vote for Amy."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn put an X over a picture of Amy and showed it to the camera.

"I really don't like you." Shawn admitted. "And I especially don't know why they even brought you back for another season."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning crossed out a photo of Amy.

"Sorry girl, if ya want people to not vote ya out, ya gotta be less annoying." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

Topher held up a crossed out picture of Shawn.

"I'm used to being leader, but here, Shawn's the leader. So I figure, if I get rid of Shawn, I get to be the new leader." Topher explained.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I dunno... I know I agreed with Sky that I'd vote off Cameron but... I feel like Shawn's the bigger threat here." Amy told the camera. "Of course, I wanna stay on Sky's good graces... Hmm... What to do?"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Cameron)**

Cameron showed a picture of Sierra with an X over it to the camera.

"I know Sierra says she's not going to obsess over me anymore but I'd rather not risk it." Cameron said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra drew an X over a picture of Shawn.

"As someone who's seen every episode of this show at least ten times, I know the merge is coming soon." Sierra told the camera. "And I don't really know if I want someone as good as Shawn with me at the merge."

* * *

The scene changed back to Chris walking back up on stage post-voting.

"Okay, I've gone over the confessional footage and have come to a decision." Chris told them. "Oh, and before I get to the votes I'd like to announce that the Silver Chris Idol was used! I won't say by who or on who but it has definitely been used."

"Wait, why won't you tell us?" Cameron asked.

"Because he loves suspense, obviously." Topher said. "Any fan of this show would know that."

"Oh yeah, I was just about to say that too." Sierra added.

"Uh, anyway, let's get to the good part." Chris told the contestants. "Topher, Sky, Lightning you three are safe."

Chris gave the three of them their marshmallows.

"The rest of you, I'm going to give out two more idols next." Chris explained. "And they go to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sierra and, surprisingly, Amy!"

Chris threw the two of them their idols.

"Yes!" Sierra celebrated.

"Pfft, 'Surprisingly'." Amy said, semi-mockingly.

"And now, I have one last idol." Chris explained." Shawn, Cameron, it can only go to one of you. And the big winner is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Neither of you! That's right folks it's our season's very first tie!"

"Wait, so, what happens now?" Shawn asked.

"Do we have to do a mini-challenge or something?" Cameron said.

"No, nothing so elaborate. We would if we could but budget constraints and all that." Chris told him. "Instead, we've got something much simpler in store. You all go back to the confessional and vote again! Only this time, you can only vote for either Shawn or Cameron."

"Aw, boring. I expected more from you, Chris." Topher told Chris.

"Do me a favour and shut up." Chris told him. "Anywho, get back to the confessionals so we can finish things up around here."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a picture of Cameron.

"I was ready to switch my vote, but Amy told me to vote for Cameron. She says she feels like not many people will vote for Shawn." Sky explained. "Frankly, I don't understand her logic but I've decided to stick with it to keep her from getting angry at me."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn showed a crossed out photograph of Cameron to the camera.

"You're pretty much the only person I can vote for." Shawn said. "Sorry."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning crossed out a picture of Cameron.

"Listen Cam, Shawn's in an alliance with me so there's no way I'm votin' for him." Lightning explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Cameron)**

Cameron scribbled an X over one of Shawn's photos.

"You're pretty much my only choice here." Cameron stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra held up a crossed out picture of Shawn.

"I like Cameron too much to vote him off." Sierra explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher showed a crossed out picture of Shawn to the camera.

"I still want to be leader." Topher said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

"I know I told Sky to stick with Cameron but now I'm starting to have second thoughts." Amy admitted. "I mean... I feel like voting for Shawn might work... But it might not... Hmm... Decisions, decisions..."

* * *

The scene shifted over to Chris getting back up on stage for the third time.

"All right, I've gone over the votes and this time I can guarantee that somebody _will_ be eliminated." Chris stated.

"In that case get on with it." Amy told him.

"I was just about to." Chris said. "So Shawn, Cameron, only one of you is going to stay here. The other one will have to take the Lame-o-sine away from this place. And the final award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Shawn!"

Chris threw the final Gilded Chris Award to Shawn.

"Heh, feel like that's a close one." Shawn remarked.

Cameron stood up and looked over at his teammates.

"What?" Cameron said. "You guys voted me out? Aw, I was having fun... Well, minus the terrifying bits."

"Sorry Cam, the votes were four-three." Chris told him. "Now if you would, please escort yourself down to the Lame-o-sine."

"Oh, yeah, sure.' Cameron said.

Cameron walked away from the bleachers, down the red carpet, and then entered the limousine.

"Well, I didn't make it to the merge like I promised Zoey." Cameron remarked. "But least I had fun. And now I get to go somewhere nice and relaxing. So I guess it isn't all bad."

The camera changed to a view of the limo speeding off. Chris walked to the edge of the carpet once it was gone.

"And it looks like we're down to our final nine." Chris remarked. "Will the Directors lose again or was the Actors victory a fluke? Or, alternatively, will the merge be next and none of that matters? Only me and the producers know. For the rest of you, you'll have to stick around for some, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Current Teams:**

 **Irritable Actors:** Scott, Gwen, and Dave

 **Demented Directors:** Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, Topher, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (11th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (10th Place)

 **First Votes:**

Sky: Cameron

Shawn: Amy

Lightning: Amy (Vote negated by Silver Idol)

Topher: Shawn

Sierra: Shawn

Amy: Cameron

Cameron: Sierra

 **First Results:**

Shawn: 2 Votes

Cameron: 2 Votes

Amy: 2 Votes (One vote negated by Silver Idol)

Sierra: 1 Vote

 **Tiebreaker Votes:**

Sky: Cameron

Shawn: Cameron

Lightning: Cameron

Topher: Shawn

Sierra: Shawn

Amy: Cameron

Cameron: Shawn

 **First Results:**

Cameron: 4 Votes

Shawn: 3 Votes

* * *

 **And that's it for the chapter. It ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated. That's probably on account of the tiebreakers. Hopefully, that isn't a problem. As for why I switched Topher, I thought it could be interesting to write a team of three.** **Also, if you're wondering why I eliminated Cameron, it was tough to decide the last boot of the pre-merge looking at the initial list I had. But then I thought everyone else had a plot that I wanted to expand on. Also, yes, this is the last pre-merge chapter. So you've got that to look forward to. Anyway, hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading.**


	12. And Then There Were Nine

**And this story is back now. Sorry about the long gap between chapters. With school now back I've been a lot busier than I was before and haven't been able to write as much. But hopefully, the quality of this story hasn't slipped. Oh, and as for my other story, it should be up later this week. Anyway, let's respond to the last several reviews I got:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Sorry, I still haven't gotten around to seeing Tomorrowland. I have a pretty big list of films I'd like to watch so it might take a little while. But if you have any other ideas, I'm open to hearing them. Also, in relation to your second review, I did not see that review until now. But I don't own a TV so I guess it doesn't matter anyways.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the chapter.

 **Joel Connell:** Well, I guess it's not relevant anymore, but I was able to update the chapter roughly just in time. And there should be yet another chapter of Strange People up later this week.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you for leaving a review.

 **Okay, now that we're done with that, you can get on to the rest of the chapter now. Hope you like it.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our contestants went to the not so distant future. Unfortunately, that future also involved a zombie apocalypse. Despite a certain someone reducing the members of the Actors to three and increasing the Directors to seven, it was the Actors that ended up winning in the end. Shocking, I know. And in the end, it was Cameron that got the boot. The merge is right around the corner and things are about to be shaken up. What will happen next? Find out, on Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

One early morning at the film lot studio the two teams were eating breakfast at the mess hall at separate tables. The camera focused on the three-person team of the Actors.

"So how much longer do you think this team is gonna be able to hold on?" Gwen wondered.

"Probably not that much longer." Scott predicted. "The other guys still have numbers on their side."

"You are really bad at this whole 'Motivational' thing." Dave remarked.

"I'm only being realistic." Scott stated. "Besides, on the bright side, at least we don't have Topher anymore."

"Oh c'mon, Topher wasn't that bad, was he?" Gwen asked.

"Trust me, you didn't have to put up with him for as long as we did." Scott stated.

"All right, that's fair I guess." Gwen admitted. "But still, I feel like we're at a disadvantage here."

"Maybe the merge will happen soon?" Dave suggested.

"Why would Chris have a team switch right before the merge?" Scott asked.

"He's Chris. Nothing he does makes sense." Dave argued.

"Fine, you made a good point." Scott admitted.

"Let's just focus on something else for now." Gwen decided. "We'll leave worry about what's going to happen for the challenge."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I've had kind of a wild ride this season." Gwen admitted. "First I was kinda grumpy, then I was happy, then switched teams, I adjusted to that, and then Chris got rid of one of the guys on my team. I kinda welcome the merge, to be honest. It brings things to a nice, comfortable status quo I could get used to."

* * *

The camera panned over to the six members of the Directors.

"So, guys, what's the plan for today?" Topher asked. "Heh, still new here so I don't totally know how things work."

"Oh my god, please shut up." Amy requested. "I can barely hear myself think right now."

"Wow, okay, sorry." Topher remarked. "I'll be quiet."

"Ah, don't get Amy get'cha down." Lightning said. "She's just grumpy 'cause we lost."

"I have the right to be upset, all right." Amy stated. "We had the advantage and we still ended up like losers!"

"Take it easy there." Shawn said. "Let's all focus on strategies."

"How do we do that?" Sierra asked.

"She has a point. It's kinda hard to strategize when you don't know what the challenge is going to be." Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, and the merge might be happening soon anyway." Topher added.

"All right, those are all fair points." Shawn admitted. "Let's just keep some general notes. Friendliness, teamwork, and calmness. That's what's gonna help us."

"Okay, but what if there's the merge?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah, this looks like about the point where the merge happens." Amy agreed.

"Look, let's just assume we're still a team now." Shawn suggested.

"Yeah, sure that works." Topher said. "Hooray for us."

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard from outside causing all the contestants to turn their attention to the main entrance door of the mess hall.

"Dammit, Chef! You were supposed to burst open the door!" The contestants heard the muffled voice of Chris shout. "It was gonna look all cool!"

"Lemme, try again!" They heard the voice of Chef yell.

The sound of a vehicle backing up was heard and moments later the doors were burst through and broken off their hinges as Chris and Chef's golf cart drove into the mess hall.

"Hello, teams!" Chris cheered. "Who's ready for some challenges!"

"Already?" Dave asked. "I was just getting comfortable in this seat."

"Too bad." Chris remarked. "You all know the drill. Come down to the regular studio for the challenge. But this time, I've got a special surprise."

"Is it the merge?" Sierra guessed.

"You'll have to come down here and find out." Chris replied.

"Oh, it's totally the merge." Topher confidently stated.

"Shut up!" Chris told him. "It's a surprise, I swear. Chef! Get me out of here."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. You'd better be fixin' these doors by the way." Chef remarked.

"Just drive, seriously." Chris said.

Chef backed the golf cart out of the cafeteria.

"Okay, so we can all agree that the surprise is the merge, right?" Gwen asked once Chris was out of earshot.

"Oh, definitely." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"As much as I respect Chris, he's really bad at keeping things secret." Sierra remarked.

* * *

A little while later, the team arrived at the studio that was full of virtual reality equipment where Chris was already waiting for them.

"Ah, there you guys are!" Chris cheered. "Ready for the big announcement?"

"Ugh, we already know what it is, but sure. Why don't you 'Surprise' us." Amy said.

"Fine, I will." Chris replied. "Okay teams, it's time for that big announcement I promised you. I wanted to let you all know… It's merge time!"

"Yes! I know, it!" Sierra cheered.

"Wow, what a shocker." Amy sarcastically said.

"It's your own fault for guessing." Chris stated. "Anyway, yes, the merge is here. That means no more Directors, no more Actors. You all are now one big happy family! Well… Maybe 'Happy' is a stretch."

"So just so we're clear, no more teams?" Shawn asked.

"Yes, definitely." Chris said. "I could not make it more clear."

"All right, so, are you gonna tell us about the challenge now?" Dave asked.

"Right, thank you for the reminder." Chris remarked. "Today's challenge is based on the genre of the murder mystery."

"Didn't we do that already?" Topher asked.

"What do you mean?" Chris inquired.

"Season two, there was a murder mystery challenge in season two." Topher pointed out.

"Look, there are only so many genres out there. There are going to be some repeats." Chris explained.

"So what are the rules of this challenge exactly?" Dave asked.

"Glad you asked." Chris replied. "Once you're in a challenge you'll be on a party on a riverboat and while you're on there somebody will be murdered and you'll have to figure it out by following clues and sutch."

"Will there be other people on the boat or will one of us be the one who did it?" Sky asked.

"There will be virtual people on the virtual boat." Chris explained. "Once you think you've figured it out you need to capture whoever the killer is and you'll win the challenge. Sounds fun, right?"

"Yeah, actually it does a little." Gwen admitted.

"Great, glad you think so." Chris replied. "Now, everybody get in the chairs so we can get things stared!"

The competitors went over to the chairs lining the room and sat down in them.

"Okay, Chef, please start it up for them." Chris requested.

"No problem. I've gotten used to it by now." Chef stated.

Chef pressed a few buttons on the machine and then pulled two levers.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Wow, I actually made it to the merge this time!" Topher cheered. "Awesome! At this rate, I have a feeling I'll be in this game for a while now."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants found themselves inside what appeared to be ballroom of sorts. It wasn't too large a room but it had lots of tables and a bar counter. Visible through the windows was the river the boat they were inside was travelling down. Inside the room were at least nine other people.

"Whoa, this place is pretty nice." Sky remarked.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be a lot less nice once the murdering starts." Amy stated.

At that moment, the group was approached by a balding middle-aged man who was in the midst of lighting a cigar.

"Ah, I am so delighted to meet new people." The man greeted them in a thick southern accent.

"Oh... Hello there." Gwen replied. "Who are you?"

"Leland Van Pelt, local tobacco industry mogul." The man introduced himself. "I noticed your little gathering over here and couldn't help but be curious."

"We're all just friends. Nothing special about us." Shawn said.

"I dunno, I feel like I'm pretty special." Lightning remarked.

"Yeah, me too." Amy added.

"Could you two just be quiet?" Shawn requested before turning back to Leland. "Anyway, Leland, it's been a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you." Leland replied. "Here's to you and your friends. And to your long life."

"Wait, no, don't say that last bit!" Sierra hurriedly said.

At that moment, the lights in the ballroom went out leaving everyone in darkness.

"Ah! Get that knife away from me!" The voice of Leland cried out. "Ack! The pain, the pain!"

The lights flickered back on and Leland lay motionless on the ground with several stab wounds in his chest. The competitors and the other virtual passengers of the boat gathered around Leland's body.

"Oh god... I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight..." Sky trailed off.

"Meh, it's not _that_ bad." Scott said.

"I dunno... That looks pretty bad." Dave remarked.

"My goodness! Whatever shall we do!" A young woman in a white dress exclaimed.

"Uh, don't worry people, we're detectives and we'll get to the bottom of this." Shawn stated.

"Hold on, all of you are detectives?" An elderly bearded man asked.

"I, er, yes." Amy said. "Now all of you civilians head over to your private rooms and we'll start our investigation."

With that, the virtual passengers on the boat slowly let themselves out of the ballroom leaving the contestants alone.

"So... Now what do we do?" Topher asked.

"Well, we're not supposed to work together so I say everyone here split up." Gwen suggested.

Almost as soon as she finished talking, all the contestants began to walk off in different directions.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I thought I'd do pretty well in the challenge." Shawn admitted. "A lot of the skills I work on in my zombie survival involve problem-solving. So I figured solving a murder mystery wouldn't be too hard."

* * *

In one corner of the ballroom, Scott and Dave had gathered with each other in one corner of the ballroom.

"What's the plan here?" Dave asked.

"We look at the clues." Scott stated.

"What clues?" Dave pointed out. "We barely knew that guy before his chest got used as a cutting board."

"All right, all right, you have a point." Scott admitted. "Well, clearly it's one of those other people who did it. How about we go around to their rooms and ask some questions."

"Yeah, sure, that seems like a good way to do things." Dave agreed. "Where should we go first?"

"I dunno, anywhere seems like a good start though." Scott said. "Let's go."

The duo exited the ballroom through the large wooden double doors and walked along the deck of the riverboat where outside it was revealed to be the middle of the night.

"Hey so Scott, I've got a quick question for you." Dave stated.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Scott asked.

"Well, now that the teams are merged do you think that we could try to work on eliminating Sky?" Dave inquired.

"Oh, right, you two have that thing going on." Scott remarked. "Tell ya what, if she seems like a threat we'll get rid of her."

"Sos is that a yes or a no?" Dave asked.

"It's a 'We'll see'." Scott replied. "There are more important things in the world than revenge."

"It's not revenge, it's... Well, I don't know what to call it but it's not revenge." Dave stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Me and Sky have a complicated relationship." Dave told the camera. "And frankly, the less we address this relationship, the better I'll feel. So the best way to not address it is to eliminate Sky as soon as I can... It sounds like a bad idea when you say it out loud, but really, it works."

* * *

Meanwhile, out on the deck of the riverboat, Lightning and Shawn were walking around together.

"Okay Lightning, let's try to figure out who would want to kill that guy." Shawn stated.

"Sure thing, it can't be too hard, can it?" Lightning remarked. "Whatta we know 'bout this guy?"

"Well, he owns a tobacco company. A business rival could've killed him." Shawn theorized.

"Hmm, sounds like we need to talk to these fake people on the boat." Lightning decided.

"I was thinking the same thing." Shawn said. "In fact, that's where I had us going anyway."

"Nice. You're the sha-man." Lightning remarked. "Do we know who's room we're goin' to?"

"I figured we'd just pick one and then whittle it down from there." Shawn explained.

"All right, sounds like a plan." Lightning replied. "Oh, let's start over there."

Shawn and Lightning stopped in front of one of the doors in the wall. Lightning knocked on the door.

"Yo, we're detectives." Lightning said. "We wanna ask some questions."

The door slowly creaked open and on the other side stood a young brunette wearing a white cotton dress.

"Is this about that dreadful murder down in the ballroom?" The woman asked.

"Yes. What else would it be about?" Shawn rhetorically asked.

"Well, come on in then." The woman said.

The woman opened the door open all the way and Lightning and Shawn stepped in. The room was smal and humble but looked liveable.

"So lady, we're here to ask ya some questions." Lightning explained. "What's your name first of all."

"Belle. My friends call me Blue Belle." The woman introduced herself. "But you ain't my friend so please don't call me that."

"Well, Belle, what exactly did you know about the victim?" Shawn asked. "Know anyone who'd want him silence."

"Everyone 'round here knows about Mr. Van Pelt. Prob'ly the richest man in the state." Belle stated. "Sure someone that rich has a lotta enemies."

"You ever met him before now?" Shawn asked.

"Can't say I had the pleasure." Belle remarked. "I heard 'bout him before in the newspapers and such but I ain't ever really paid him much attention. Not much of a smoker."

"Well, if ya think of anyone with anger issues and access to a knife, call us." Lightning stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I wasn't too sure what I was s'posed to do." Lightning admitted. "I got a lotta skills, but most of 'em are about sports. So tryin' to be a detective wasn't easy."

* * *

Meanwhile, on another part of the boat, Sierra and Gwen were walking together.

"So, are you following me or something?" Gwen asked.

"Well, yeah, kinda." Sierra admitted. "I figure, I gotta start somewhere so I decided to follow someone random around."

"All right, fine, fair enough." Gwen replied. "Just remember, only one of us can win."

"Yep, I think there's enough sleuthing to go around for the two of us." Sierra said.

"Make that three of us!" A male voice from behind them cheered.

Sierra and Gwen turned around and saw Topher approaching them.

"Hey girls, saw you two walking around together and thought I'd join the party so to speak." Topher explained.

"Okay, fine." Gwen begrudgingly said. "But nobody else had better be following us."

"Don't worry, pretty sure I was the only one who decided to follow you." Topher stated. "So where are we going anyway?"

"Well, I don't know much about murder mysteries so I'm not sure." Gwen admitted.

"Oh! Oh! I watch a lotta crime TV shows and usually, they interview the suspects." Sierra spoke up.

"Hmm, well, guess we'll start there." Gwen said.

"Let's try this room." Sierra suggested as she pointed to a door the group was approaching.

The group stopped in front of the door Sierra had been pointing to and Topher knocked on it.

"Uh, hey there. Can we come in?" Topher requested as he knocked. "We wanna ask some questions about the murder."

After several seconds, the door was opened by a bald elderly man.

"Hmm? What's going on?" The old man asked.

"We need to talk about that thing that happened down in the ballroom." Gwen explained.

"Oh, right, the murder." The old man said. "Well, come on in. I'll try to answer any questions."

The group followed the old man into his room which was an exact copy of the inside of the other room.

"So what's your name?" Sierra asked.

"Jebediah Winkleton." The man identified himself.

Topher stifled a laugh.

"What was that?" Jebediah asked.

"Uh, nothing." Topher quickly said. "So tell me, Jeb. What do you know about that guy who got stabbed."

"He was a business partner of mine actually." Jebediah admitted. "I was his silent partner so to speak. We shared ownership of the company."

"So you're saying it's all yours now?" Gwen asked.

"I didn't kill him if that's what you're implying." Jebediah stated. "I loved Leland as if he was my brother."

"Well, who do you think killed him in that case?" Sierra asked.

"There's the head of Brandt Tabacco. That's competing company. Their owner is on the boat with us." Jebediah explained. "We've always been in a bit of a friendly rivalry but I never imagined it'd result in a murder."

"So do you think it could be them?" Gwen asked.

"Hmm... There's always the possibility." Jebediah stated.

"Well, it can't hurt to check." Sierra remarked. "C'mon gang, we can get back to talking to this guy later."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Yeah, it was pretty fun to be part of that little team." Topher admitted. "It was like Scooby-Doo but with less fake monsters."

* * *

Meanwhile, Amy and Sky were walking around on another part of the deck.

"Okay Sky, I need you to use your head here." Amy told her. "Who here would want to stab a big fat businessman."

"Uh, I dunno, jealous ex-romantic partner." Sky guessed.

"Are you just saying that because of Dave?" Amy asked.

"Uh, maybe." Sky admitted. "Look, that isn't important. What is important is that we do some interviewing. See if any of these suspects stories check out."

"Right, yeah, that thing." Amy said. "Sure, sure. I'll let you do the talking."

The two of them rounded a corner and saw Scott and Dave standing in front of a door.

"Oh, dammit! You'd better not be talking to the same person we were about to talk to." Amy stated.

"Uh oh, hey there Sky." Dave said.

"Yep, we were just about to interview whoever was in this room." Scott explained.

"No fair, we were about to do that." Amy told them.

"Amy, please try not to freak out." Sky requested.

"You should be freaking out too." Amy stated. "Your ex-boyfriend and his slimy friend are about to steal our lead."

"We didn't technically date." Dave pointed out.

"Will all of you please shut up." Scott interrupted.

"Fine, what do you want to say?" Amy asked.

"How about _all_ of us go in there." Scott suggested.

"Ugh, fine, we'll do the boring thing." Amy said.

"Uh, I'm actually okay with this." Sky spoke up.

"Let's stop talking and actually get in there then." Dave said.

Dave pushed open the door where a middle-aged woman in a frilly brown dress was on the other side sat down on a chair.

"Hey! Do you people know how to knock!" The woman yelled.

"Gah! Sorry ma'am, I forgot." Dave promptly apologized.

"What do you people want?" The woman asked. "I'm very busy."

"We'll give you a hint." Amy said. "It has to do with a knife and the five or so times that it was used to stab a guy."

"Oh, that incident." The woman uncaringly remarked. "Very well, please question away. But make it snappy, I'm a very busy woman."

"Tell us your name and your relation to the victim." Scott said.

"No fair, I wanted to ask first." Amy told him.

"Amy, take it easy." Sky said.

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" The woman asked.

"Just answer the questions that we asked." Sky explained.

"Oh, well my name is Abigail Wormwood and I saw Mr. Van Pelt as somewhat of a rival." The woman explained.

"So you're saying there was a motive?" Scott asked.

"Now don't you accuse me!" Abigail shouted. "I am an honourable businesswoman."

"Wasn't accusing you, everybody on this boat is equally a suspect." Scott claimed.

"But wait, you and the dead guy were rivals?" Amy asked.

"Yes, I run another tobacco company. And well, looks like I'll be getting slightly more successful from now on." Abigail said. "At a horrible, horrible, cost of course."

"Well, we'll leave you to grieve." Scott said. "C'mon Dave, let's go."

"Oh, okay." Dave replied.

"Well, _we_ are staying here because we're better detectives." Amy stated.

"Amy, please try and tone it down." Sky requested.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I swear, being with Amy is almost like babysitting sometimes." Sky remarked. "She can get so... Irrationally angry sometimes."

* * *

Meanwhile, back over with Lightning and Shawn, the two of them had gone back to the ballroom which looked rather undisturbed.

"Yo, so why're we back to this place?" Lightning asked. "That dead guy over there gives me the creeps."

"Me too." Shawn admitted. "But at least there's no chance of it reanimating."

"But can ya tell me the reason?" Lightning requested.

"Oh, right, we're checking for evidence. Most importantly the murder weapon." Shawn explained. "So keep an eye out for any red-stained knife."

"Got'cha." Lightning replied. "My eyes are sharp like a knife."

Lightning paused for a second.

"Is that a thing people say?" Lightning asked.

"Not that I know of." Shawn replied. "Now C'mon, let's try to find clues."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds like an important thing." Lightning said.

Lightning and Shawn began to wander around the ballroom together.

"Hmm... So where do ya think the murder weapon is?" Shawn wondered.

"Well, whoever owns it either put it in their room or stashed it somewhere 'round here." Lightning remarked.

Shawn glanced over at the bar counter.

"What about the bar? Someone could've hidden someone behind there." Shawn said.

"Good idea, man." Lightning replied.

The two of them walked over to the bar and peered over the counter. On the other side of the counter, they saw a bald middle-aged man wearing a blue vest bent over on his hands and knees trying to get something off the ground.

"Yo, barman, what're you doing?" Lightning asked.

"Gah!" The man at the bar exclaimed as he jolted upwards.

The bartender and the two competitors stared at each other for a few moments.

"Er, may I help you?" The bartender asked.

"Seen anything suspicious lying around?" Lightning asked. "We're doin' an investigation."

"No, no, can't say that I have." The bartender remarked.

"What were you doing down there?" Shawn enquired.

"Just grabbing my piece." The bartender explained.

"Your piece?" Shawn asked.

The bartender bent down and opened up a trapdoor in the ground to reveal a revolver. He grabbed the gun from the trapdoor and showed it to Lightning and Shawn.

"After Mr. Van Pelt got snuffed I gotta protect myself." The bartender explained.

"You're just a bartender, dude. Don't think anyone wants to kill you." Lightning remarked. "C'mon Shawn, let's check somewhere else."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"This alliance with Lightning isn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be." Shawn said. "And at the very least, it's nice to have someone to vote with me."

* * *

Meanwhile, up on a higher deck of the riverboat, Topher, Gwen, and Sierra were still walking around together.

"Okay guys, we've talked to a few suspects now... Now what?" Topher asked.

"That is a good question." Gwen replied. "I guess we look for physical clues. Bloodstains, knives, things like that."

"Oh, okay, but before we do that can we look off the front of the boat?" Sierra requested.

"I... Uh, what does that have to do with anything?" Gwen asked.

"Nothing, I just think it'd be cool." Sierra said.

"Yeah, I wanna do that too." Topher added. "Sounds fun!"

"I sometimes can't believe I'm almost the same age as you two." Gwen remarked.

"C'mon Gwen' we're almost at the front of the boat. Please let us do this?" Topher requested.

"All right, fine. Let's go check out the front." Gwen said. "But then we do some actual work."

The trio turned the corner and saw Belle standing at the front of the boat.

"Oh hey, we didn't talk to her yet." Sierra realized. "C'mon guys, let's go do that."

"All right, why not." Gwen replied.

The three of them went over to where Belle was standing.

"'Scuse me, what're you doing up here?" Gwen asked. "Listen, your name's Belle, right? I don't wanna tell you what to do, but you probably should be inside right now. There's a killer on the loose."

"Oh, I know. But this view is simply heavenly." Belle explained. "I just had to go out and see it."

"Well, you should probably go inside." Sierra recommended.

"Okay, will do. I've got everything I wanted anyway." Belle remarked.

Belle walked away from the area.

"I swear, we are not getting any work done today." Gwen remarked.

"At least we're having fun." Topher said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I feel like I need to make an alliance if I wanna get far in the game." Gwen admitted. "And I also feel like most people are already involved except Sierra and Topher... And I'm not sure I wanna be in an alliance with either of those guys."

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were walking around on one of the lower decks of the riverboat.

"Okay, we've finished the interviews now it's on to the clues." Scott told Dave. "Look for footprints, knives, fingerprints, that sorta thing."

"Will there be any blood involved?" Dave asked.

"Probably." Scott replied.

"Oh... This isn't gonna be fun." Dave said.

The two of them continued walking for a few more moments.

"Do you feel like we're being followed?" Dave asked.

"Not particularly." Scott told him. "What about you?"

"Yeah, that's why I asked." Dave replied. "I just feel like someone's out there right now."

"You're being paranoid." Scott said. "Just keep it cool. We're gonna win this challenge."

"I'll let you know if I see any clues." Dave told him.

"Oh, I don't think you have to." Scott replied. "'Cause I see one right now."

Scott pointed over to a bloodstained knife lying on the ground several feet in front of them.

"Oh wow." Dave remarked. "Wait, how'd it end up here?"

"Who cares, it's evidence." Scott said. "We can probably use this somehow... I don't know how exactly, but it'll be useful."

"Aha! I knew this would pay off!" A female voice exclaimed from out of their view.

Scott and Dave both swivelled around and saw Sky and Amy hiding behind a stack of crates.

"You girls can come out now." Scott remarked.

"Nice work giving us away." Sky remarked.

"Shut up, you looked excited too." Amy said.

The two of them stepped out from behind the crates and approached Scott and Dave.

"So, what's that you got here?" Sky asked, pointing at the dagger.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Dave remarked.

"It's so obviously a knife, Sky." Amy said.

"It was a rhetorical question." Sky stated.

"Don't use words I don't understand." Amy replied.

"So, uh, what are we doing now?" Dave asked.

"We're taking this knife and using it for... Something." Scott said.

"No, you aren't." Amy stated. " _We_ are taking it! Aren't we Sky."

'Uh, yeah. We are!" Sky confidently added.

"We found it first so we're keeping it." Dave told them.

"Oh Jesus, is this conversation going to devolve into a playground argument?" Scott asked.

"Shut up! We wanna win!" Amy shouted.

"Okay, looks like it is." Scott remarked. "You kids have fun, the _adult_ is gonna go somewhere else while you figure this out."

Scott walked away from the area.

"So where were we?" Dave asked the other two.

"You were being kinda greedy and hoarding the evidence." Sky told him.

"Oh, I found it first, Sky." Dave replied. "So I get to keep it."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm really hoping Dave gets eliminated soon." Sky admitted. "I feel like every conversation we'll have will turn into a messy argument."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn and Lightning were walking around on the lower levels of the deck.

"So what're we doin' now?" Lightning asked.

"Still looking for clues." Shawn said. "I've got a feeling we're close to solving this."

"Sha-awesome, man." Lightning remarked. "Think any suspect stands out? Like, as someone who did it I mean."

"That bartender was a little weird. Y'know, with his gun and stuff." Shawn commented.

"Yeah, but our guy got stabbed, not shot." Lightning pointed out.

"True, you got a point there." Shawn admitted. "Well, we talked to a lot of people. That girl in the white dress, the rival business owner, the victim's partner. Really, I could see any of them doing it."

Shawn and Lightning turned the corner and saw Amy, Dave, and Sky standing in a circle like formation around the knife arguing while Scott had gone and leaned off over the railing.

"Just let us have it!" Amy demanded.

"I'd rather not, thank you." Dave replied.

"Uh... What'd we walk in on?" Shawn asked.

"No idea, bro, no idea." Lightning replied.

"Let's try asking Scott." Shawn suggested.

"All right, sure." Lightning said.

Lightning and Shawn walked over to where Scott was leaning off the railing.

"Hey ya Scott. What's goin' on with those three?" Lightning asked.

"I don't know. I started tuning them out." Scott admitted. "They started arguing about that knife over there or something. It started out as a clue, but now it's kinda just something I wish we never found."

"Wait, you found a knife?" Shawn excitedly asked.

"Yep, over there." Scott said, pointing to the weapon.

Shawn and Lightning looked over at the knife that the other three were fighting over.

"It was just lying there?" Shawn asked.

"Yep, we walked over here and it was just right there." Scott explained.

"Do ya know how it got there?" Lightning asked.

"Well, I assume someone dropped it." Scott remarked.

"Hold up, that means whoever dropped it is on this deck level, don't it?" Lightning asked.

"Huh, you have a point." Scott realized.

"C'mon Shawn, let's go!" Lightning cheered.

"Hold on, someone could've dropped it from up there." Shawn said.

Shawn pointed up to the deck above them.

"Whatta you mean?" Lightning asked.

"Someone could've been trying to drop it into the river from up there but undershot it." Shawn theorized.

"Which do you think is more likely?" Lightning asked.

"I dunno, tell you what, let's split up." Shawn said. "I'll take down here and you check the upper deck."

"Sha-yeah! Great plan, Shawn. We're gonna win this." Lightning said.

Lightning ran off away from the area.

"Okay, I'll go somewhere else!" Shawn shouted after him.

Shawn ran off as well.

"Hey, Scott, we're following them!" Scott called to his partner.

"Huh, what?" Dave asked. "Okay, fine. We'll come back for the dagger later."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Now C'mon, let's go before Sky and Amy follow us." Scott told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Dave's okay as long as alliance-mates go." Scott said. "I feel like he's obsessed with his ex a bit too much. But hey, he's at least quiet and seems to listen to me. What more can you ask for?"

* * *

Back up on the upper decks of the riverboat, Topher, Sierra, and Gwen were still walking around.

"Okay, so, we reinterviewed some of the suspects and now we're back to looking for clues... Anyone think we're getting nowhere?" Sierra wondered.

"I dunno, I'm having fun." Topher remarked.

"Yeah, okay, but don't you think winning should be the focus here?" Gwen asked.

"True, true, you have a point there." Topher admitted. "Okay, I'll try to take things more serious."

"Why aren't you more serious about it anyway?" Sierra asked. "I would've thought a big fan like you would've felt pressure to win."

"I dunno, I'm just having fun while being on my favourite show. I guess that's all that matters." Topher said before pausing for a moment. "Although... Winning wouldn't be half bad either."

"In that case, let's try and focus here." Gwen said.

"Good plan." Topher replied.

Before they could get any further ahead they stopped when they heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching them.

"Guys, you hear that too, right?" Sierra asked.

"Yep, I definitely do." Gwen agreed.

Gwen, Sierra, and Topher turned around and saw Lightning running towards them.

"What the hell is he doing?" Gwen asked.

"I dunno, let's ask." Topher decided before waving over at Lightning. "Hey! Lightning, stop for a second!"

Lightning slowed his running to a halt and stopped in front of the trio but continued to jog in place.

"Can ya make whatever you wanna say quick?" Lightning requested. "I'm kinda in a hurry."

"We just wanna know why you're running." Gwen explained.

"Tryin' to find out who did the murder, man." Lightning answered. "Someone up here mighta dropped a knife down there. You seen anyone else up here recently?"

"Oh yeah, there was that girl in the white dress." Topher remembered. "She was over by the front of the boat."

"She coulda dropped the knife off the railing!" Lightning realized. "I gotta go find her."

Lightning pushed past Topher, Sierra, and Gwen and ran off from the area.

"Should we follow him?" Sierra asked.

"Definitely." Gwen said. "C'mon guys, let's go!"

Gwen, Sierra, and Topher ran in the same direction Lightning went.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lookin' back, I probably shoulda kept my theories about who did it inside my head." Lightning admitted.

* * *

Lightning ran across the upper levels of the decks in search of the room belonging to Belle.

"C'mon, think. Which one of these rooms is it?" Lightning wondered to himself. "Hold up, here it is. 'Least I think so."

Lightning stopped in front of one of the doors and pushed it open. On the other side, Belle lay in her bed reading a book.

"What the hell's going on here?" Belle asked. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Not so fast, I've got an accusation to make!" Lightning announced.

"Accusation?!" Belle exclaimed. "What're you talking about?"

"You totally stabbed that dude." Lightning explained.

Belle stood up from his bed.

"And what evidence do you have to support this?" Belle asked. "Because I for one am very offended."

"Accordin' to those other guys, you were out at the front of the boat and down on the ground, those _other_ other guys found a knife there." Lightning explained. "That means you dropped the knife down there."

"I got no motive to kill Leland! You can't accuse me!" Belle said.

"Um... Uh, you said ya ain't a smoker so that's why ya killed him!" Lightning guessed. "It's a flimsy reason but it's all I got."

"All right, fine, I did it!" Belle confessed. "I've always hated tobacco and I especially hated the Van Pelt corporation! So I did the reasonable thing.

"Woo! You confessed!" Lightning cheered. "That means I win, don't it?"

"Win, what are you talking about?" Belle asked.

Lightning began glowing a white.

"Awesome! I _do_ win!" Lightning cheered.

Lightning disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Never really thought of myself as much of a detective." Lightning remarked. "But guess who won? That's right, _me_. Sha-bam! I'm the best."

* * *

Back in the real world, Chris was standing right by the machine as the contestants came out of the virtual world.

"And welcome back to reality, people." Chris told the contestants.

"I'm confused, what exactly happened back there?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, we kinda just started glowing for no reason." Sierra added.

"Not no reason. I just sha-won!" Lightning celebrated.

"Unbelievable..." Amy muttered.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Scott trailed off in disbelief.

"Nope, he certainly is not kidding." Chris told them. "Lightning solved the mystery and he won the challenge."

"Aw yeah, I am the man!" Lightning continued to cheer.

"Okay, reel it in, Lightning." Shawn advised him.

"Okay, okay, whatever ya say." Lightning replied.

"Ahem, do keep in mind this means voting for Lightning is off the table tonight." Chris explained. "But the rest of you, you all have a chance of leaving tongiht. But first, you all report to the mess hall for some food from chef."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"How does _Lightning_ win the first solo immunity of the season?" Amy asked. " _I_ wanted to win that!"

* * *

The scene switched to inside the boys' trailer with Scott and Dave having a discussion.

"All right, so, now that we're at the trailer alone who do you want to vote for?" Scott asked.

"Sky." Dave bluntly told him.

"Shoulda seen that coming…" Scott muttered to himself before speaking up again. "And why is that exactly?"

"I just don't want to be reminded of all the bad things that happened." Dave explained. "And the best way to do that would be to get her off the show."

"Really, her?" Scott asked. "Voting for personal reasons usually isn't a good idea."

"Come on, please." Dave said. "I just think if I have to talk to her in another challenge it'll make me miserable."

"You need to think with your head." Scott told him. "I say, we vote for Topher instead. He looks like she could be a threat if we keep him around for too long and you should use your idol to guarantee he gets eliminated."

"Look, how about we decide later." Dave suggested. "You made me leave behind a perfectly average plate of food."

"All right, fine." Scott agreed. "But I still think we should vote for Topher."

"And I still say we should vote for Sky." Dave replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Jeez, and I thought me and Courtney had a messy relationship towards the end." Scott remarked. "But Dave and Sky are on a whole 'nother level."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside one of the warehouse studios, Amy and Sky had wandered over to what used to be the set of some movie taking place in a castle. Amy sat herself down on a crate to talk to Sky.

"So Amy, why did we have to come all the way out here to talk?" Sky asked.

"Isn't it obvious? There's less chance of anyone eavesdropping on us." Amy replied. "Now, since we lost today we need to play it smart. I'm not quite sure who to vote for just yet, so I want some input from you. Tell me who we should vote for."

"I say we go for Dave." Sky replied. "I just really, really don't like him."

"Ugh, seriously?" Amy asked. "You can't just vote for him because he's your ex."

"Oh come on, you asked for my opinion." Sky pointed out.

"Fine, that's fair." Amy replied. "But give me a good reason to vote for Dave. _Other than_ him being your ex-boyfriend."

"Well, he seems kinda weak and I'm seventy five percent sure that he's in an alliance with Scott." Sky told her.

"Hmm... That could be a dangerous alliance." Amy remarked. "Tell you what, we'll vote for him tonight"

"Really?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, sure." Amy replied. "Truth be told, I don't really like that guy either."

"Great. Glad we sorted that out." Sky remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I don't really care about Sky and Dave's whole conflict." Amy admitted. "I don't really care about anyone's problems actually. Well, unless it involves _me_ somehow."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another warehouse that appeared to be decorated like a jungle, Lightning and Shawn were walking around together.

"All right bro, who do ya think we should vote for tonight?" Lightning asked. "We're on top of the world, man. We can vote for whoever ya want."

" _You_ are on top of the world." Shawn corrected. "People can still vote for me."

"Right, right, good point there." Lightning replied. "But I ain't sure who to vote for. You got any suggestions?"

"I don't know. How about Topher or Sierra." Shawn suggested.

"What's so special 'bout them?" Lightning asked.

"Well, nothing really." Shawn admitted. "But that's exactly why we should vote for them."

"I still don't get what you're saying." Lightning replied.

"If we pay more attention to more powerful players, one of them could slip right by." Shawn explained.

"Hmm... Good point." Lightning said. "All right man, we'll pick one of 'em to vote for. We're totally gonna win this show!"

Lightning jumps in the air in his excitement but on the way down to the ground he crashes into a barrel marked "Props".

"Whoa... Didn't expect that..." Lightning muttered to himself.

"Here, lemme help." Shawn said.

Shawn extended a hand and helped Lightning up from the ground.

"Thanks bro." Lightning replied as he looked behind him and saw the smashed up remains of the barrel.

"Damn, I did a number on that barrel." "Sure did." Shawn agreed. "Now c'mon Lightning, let's try and relax before the ceremony."

"Hold up man, I think I see something interesting." Lightning told Shawn.

"What is it?" Shawn asked.

Lightning didn't respond and instead just leaned closer in towards what was left of the barrel. Within all the wooden debris and old movie props he saw a small wooden replica of Chris' head.

"Sha-sweet!" Lightning cheered as he scooped up the idol from the ground. "This one of the invincibility statues Chris was talking about, dude!"

"Wait, really?" Shawn asked, not entirely believing it. "Are you sure?"

"'Course I'm sure. How many little Chris heads are there on this island?" Lightning pointed out. "Sha-damn, today is my lucky day. Well anyway Shawn, we can talk about this later. Right now Lightning has to get to the elimination ceremony, See ya!"

Lightning runs off as Shawn watches him leave.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Somebody who's... Not smart as Lightning having that much power in a game like this can only spell bad news." Shawn stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Aw yeah!" Lightning cheered. "Man, winnin' the challenge woulda been enough but this idol is just the cherry on top. Look out million dollars 'cause Lightning's gonna be your new owner."

* * *

A little while later, Chris had gotten up on stage with all the contestants out in the audience.

"Okay people, are you ready for the first elimination ceremony of the merge?" Chris asked.

"You bet we are!" Topher excitedly cheered.

"Thank you, Topher. For once, I actually appreciate your overenthusiasm." Chris admitted. "Is anyone else excited."

Nobody replied.

"Fine, be that way." Chris replied. "Anyway, you guys know what to do. Get to the confessional, cross out some pictures, see who gets the boot. Oh, and don't forget, voting for Lightning is off the table tonight. Now go!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photograph of Topher.

"You were better off our team anyway, and having you last any longer would be a huge mistake. I just hope Dave votes for you too." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky showed a crossed out photo of Dave to the camera.

"I just really, really, don't want to be reminded of our past mistakes." Sky explained. "And you're like, the biggest reminder of all."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra put an X over a photograph of Gwen.

"Real sorry Gwen, I still have lots of respect for you. But, if past trends are any indiction, there's a good chance you might win." Sierra explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave held up his Invincibility Idol.

"Okay, so first off I'd like to let you all know that I'm using this idol." Dave said before pausing a second. "I just don't know on who... It's ether Topher or Sky for me. I could vote for Sky to end our feud, or I can play it safe and vote for Topher to keep Scott on my side. I don't know yet."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy put an X over a picture of Dave and then showed it to the camera.

"I don't know much about you but after our little argument today, I don't think I like you that much." Amy remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning drew an X over a picture of Sierra.

"Sorry man, but the less people on this show, the better." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher showed a crossed out photo of Scott to the camera.

"Scott seems like a powerful player which definitely is a threat to me." Topher explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over Sierra's picture.

"Nothing against you, but the more I think about it, the more I realize you just might be smarter than I realize." Shawn stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen crossed out a photograph of Scott.

"I really don't like you, Scott." Gwen remarked. "Simple as that, really."

* * *

A little while later, Chris had stepped back up on stage after the voting had taken place.

"Okay everyone, I've got some news. First off, the Gold Invincibility Idol has been used. I won't say who, but I just thought you'd like to know. Exciting right? And secondly, the votes have been tabulated and our big loser is official now." Chris stated. "But first, let's talk about our winners. Lightning, Shawn, Amy, Sky, you three received zero votes."

Chris threw the both of them their Gilded Chris Awards.

"Wow, there are still _a lot_ of you left." Chris remarked. "Usually doesn't happen. Anyway, the next people I'm about to list got votes against them but not enough to be in the bottom two. And that list consists of..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Scott, Dave, and Gwen!"

Chris tossed the three of them their awards.

"Phew, that felt like a close one." Dave remarked.

"So, with that out of the way, it's either Sierra or Topher that will be leaving tonight." Chris explained. "Not who I was expecting but still seems like it could be exciting. So, this final Gilded Chris Award of the night will go to one of you. And the recipient is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sierra!"

Chris threw the final Gilded Chris Award to Sierra.

"Yes! Still in it!" Sierra cheered before looking over to Topher. "Oh, sorry, Topher."

"Aw man, I really thought I was gonna make it far." Topher remarked.

"Sorry pal, that's how it goes sometimes." Chris told him. "Now if you wouldn't mind showing yourself the way out..."

"Right, right, making my way to the Lame-o-sine." Topher replied. "See you around everyone!"

Topher stood up from the bleachers, walked down the red carpet, and entered the limo. He sat down inside the limousine and looked into the camera.

"Well, it sucks that I'm leaving but it wasn't all bad." Topher remarked. "I got to be around my idol and made it to the merge this time. So, y'know, not all that bad. Yeah, I think I'm okay with this... Kinda."

The scene cut to outside the limousine as it drove off. Once it was gone, Chris walked to the edge of the red carpet.

"And there you have it folks the first elimination of the merge has happened leaving eight contestants behind." Chris told the audience. "Things are getting exciting around here. So be sure to stick around for some more Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Scott, Gwen, Dave, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, Topher, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (11th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (10th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (9th Place)

 **Votes:**

Sky: Dave

Shawn: Sierra

Lightning: Sierra

Topher: Scott

Sierra: Gwen

Amy: Dave

Gwen: Scott

Scott: Topher

Dave: Topher (x2 from idol)

 **Results:**

Topher: 3 Votes (x2 by idol)

Sierra: 2 Votes

Dave: 2 Votes

Scott: 2 Votes

Gwen: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Once again, I'm real sorry about the long gap between chapters. But anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter and like I said earlier, my other story (Strange People) should be up later this week too. By the way, a** **s for Topher's elimination, it was tough to pick the first boot of the merge when I wrote out the boot order, but in the end I decided that all the others had some sort of plot I wanted to expand on further. Anyway, that's all I've gotta say about this chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	13. Farm Life

**And it looks like it's time for another installment of this story. There should also be a new chapter of Strange People up in a few days. Anyway, I haven't got much else to say regarding this new chapter so I'm going to skip right ahead to respond to reviews before the actual story starts.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thank you for the suggestions. I think I'll be using one of them at some point. Not this chapter, but I'll try to use one in one of the upcoming chapters.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** You know, I didn't intend it to be a callback to the mystery challenge in season two but I guess that kinda does work. Can't believe I didn't notice that when I was writing the chapter.

 **Wa** **ys:** Thanks for keeping up with the story. Glad you liked it.

 **Okay, that's about it for the note at the beginning. Now we can move on to the main story.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. We merged the teams and sent them on a murder mystery adventure. But in the end, we had an unexpected victory in the form of Lightning. I know, I'm as surprised as you are. And at the end, it was Topher that got kicked out in the end thanks to Dave using his idol. The first merge elimination is out of the way, who will the second one be? You've gotta stay tuned to find out here on, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

One early morning on the film lot, most of the contestants were still asleep inside their trailers. Within the trailer occupied by the boys only Shawn was up at the moment. He was spending his time pacing around with an expression on his face that indicated he was deep in thought.

"Hmm… Should I wake him up?" Shawn wondered.

Shawn's eyes wandered over to where Lightning was sleeping.

"I think I'm gonna do it." Shawn remarked.

With a confident look in his eyes, Shawn approached where Lightning slept and tapped his sleeping friend on the shoulder.

"Psst, Lightning, get up." Shawn whispered to him.

"Hmmm… No… Lightning wants to stay in dreamland…" Lightning mumbled.

Lightning sat up in bed and looked at Shawn.

"Oh, hey ya Shawn." Lightning greeted. "What's goin' on?"

"Just wanted to see if you wanted to go on a morning walk." Shawn explained.

Lightning blinked several times in a row in an attempt to wake up. He stared at Shawn for several moments, trying to come up with a response.

"Yeah, sure, why not." Lightning said. "Let's go walk. I need to wake up somehow."

"Great." Shawn replied. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Y'know, I'm really starting to feel about this whole alliance thing." Shawn admitted. "I mean, if Lightning can win that last challenge maybe he isn't so bad after all."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the girls' cabin, Amy had just crawled out of her bed and was walking around the room. She sighed and continued to pace around.

"I can't believe we couldn't bring any luggage with us." Amy quietely complained to herself. "Ugh, my shirt smells like stale chips."

Amy walked over to the area where Sky slept and rocked her back and forth several times.

"Hey, get up." Amy demanded. "I need someone to vent to."

"Huh… What's going on?" Sky mumbled.

Sky rolled over in bed and looked up at Amy.

"Oh, you wanna complain again?" Sky asked.

"I'm just feeling lonely and want someone to talk to." Amy explained.

"Okay, all right." Sky finally registered that she was awake. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I'm kinda just generally annoyed." Amy admitted. "C'mon, let's go outside."

"Oh, if you say so." Sky remarked.

Amy began to walk away as Sky tried to rub her eyes in attempt to become further awake.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm starting to think this alliance with Amy might have been a mistake." Sky admitted. "I mean, sure, it gives me power… But I'm just not sure how much longer I can stand Amy's personality."

* * *

A little while later, the contestants had all awoken and the ones that hadn't left the trailer to go on walks were gathered outside the trailers. The camera focused on Gwen and Sierra talking to each other over by a tree.

"So, got any plans for today?" Gwen asked.

"Well, yeah, there's like, obviously a challenge going on." Sierra said.

"Oh, yeah, other than that I mean." Gwen stated.

"Oh... I don't know what I have planned." Sierra admitted.

"Well, we could hang out if you want." Gwen suggested.

"Hmm... I'll think about it." Sierra said. "You never know when the challenge could start."

"Huh, good point." Gwen admitted. "Hey, speaking of challenges, would you like to work with me in it if that's an option? I feel like I had a good time with you last time."

"Yeah, sure, I'll think about it." Sierra replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I was trying to very subtly imply that me and Sierra should be in an alliance." Gwen explained. "I don't really have a partner right now and when there are fewer people in the game, that sort of becomes a problem."

* * *

Meanwhile, behind one of the trailers, Dave and Scott were talking.

"Okay, so we're planning on taking out Sky today, right?" Dave asked.

"Oh, you're still on that?" Scott asked.

"Of course I am." Dave replied.

"You have to get over it at some point." Scott remarked.

"I will get over it." Dave claimed. "Once she's gone, I won't be thinking about her anymore."

"So you've basically made up your mind on this, huh?" Scott commented.

"Yep, I certainly have." Dave stated.

"All right, fine. But if she doesn't get immunity, who should we vote for?" Scott asked.

"Huh... I didn't really think about that." Dave admitted. "Whatever, we can figure that out later."

"Okay, if you say so." Scott replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I really thought Dave was gonna be easy to push around." Scott admitted. "But he's kinda got a one track mind right now. Hopefully, that changes soon."

* * *

The camera cut to an up close shot of the film lot's PA system.

"Attention contestants!" Chris' voice boomed through the loudspeakers. "Come on down to the usual spot for today's challenge! It's going to be fun! Well, not more fun than usual, but y'know, the regular amount of fun! Point is, get over here before I get bored."

The scene then changed to the eight competitors entering the warehouse where Chris and Chef already were waiting.

"Glad you could make it." Chris remarked. "Well, I'm never really glad to see any of you people really. But you get what I mean."

"Nah, not really." Lightning admitted.

"Whatever, the point is, it's challenge time." Chris said.

"Yeah, yeah, we know how this goes." Amy replied. "Just give us the details. What genre are we doing this time."

"Okay, jeez, fine." Chris replied. "Today, we're doing an homage to the superhero genre. Isn't that fun?"

"Ooh, superheroes are like, the coolest." Sierra remarked. "This is gonna be great."

"Indeed it will." Chris said. "Now, the rules are a little complicated and it'd work best with visual aids. So I need all of you to go into the virtual world first thing. Got it?"

"So we just sit down and get transported?" Gwen asked.

"Basically." Chris said. "So if you don't mind..."

Nobody really did or said anything for a few seconds.

"Seriously? That's your cue to go sit down." Chris told them.

"You weren't very clear on that." Scott remarked.

"Maybe you all just weren't listening enough." Chris replied. "Anyway, sit down so we can get on with this."

All the contestants sat down at the chairs lining the room and Chef went over to the machine in the centre of it.

"Okay, let's get this thing started." Chef remarked as he began pressing a few buttons on the machine.

Chef then flicked a switch and pulled a lever. After that, the machine began to make some noise but just as abruptly, it stopped.

"Ah dammit, what's wrong?" Chef muttered to himself.

"Uh, is everything all right over there?" Dave asked.

"Did the machine break?" Shawn enquired.

"It didn't break, it just ain't workin' right now." Chef replied as he pressed several more buttons.

"That just soundsl ike a different way of saying it broke." Sky pointed out.

"Shut up y'all, I know what I'm doin' here. I read the instruction manual for this thing." Chef stated. "Well, okay, I _skimmed_ the instruction manual for this thing."

"How long are we gonna be here?" Scott asked.

"Don't worry people, I have a backup plan." Chris spoke up.

"Hold up, no need for that." Chef claimed. "It'll just take a moment to fix."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Chris admitted. "So instead, we'll be doing our backup challenge!"

"Uh, what exactly is that?" Gwen asked.

"That's also a little hard to explain." Chris confessed. "You'll see when we get there though."

Chris turned to Chef.

"Chef, start up the bus. I'm gonna go make the phone call." Chris said.

The contestants stared at the host for a few moments and then shared confused glances with each other.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I probably should've been annoyed by the superhero challenge not working. But I was just too pumped to see what Chris' surprise challenge was to care." Sierra admitted.

* * *

A little while later, the contestants had been led by Chris over to a bus driven by Chef near the front entrance to the studio.

"So, as you may have gathered, we're taking a little trip today." Chris explained. "Just a few miles out of the city and into the lovely countryside of Ontario."

"That sounds mildly suspicious." Shawn said.

"Don't worry, my contact is a very trustworthy person." Chris insisted. "Nothing bad is ever going to happen... Except maybe extreme exhaustion. I dunno, we'll see when we get there."

"Are you gonna keep talking or can we get on the bus?" Scott asked, sounding a little annoyed.

"Yes, thanks for the remind. Everyone: On the bus!" Chris cheered.

With that announcement, the contestants walked on to the bus single file and took a seat. Once everyone was in a comfortable position, Chef sped off as fast as he could get away with.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning wasn't too sure how to feel 'bout this mystery challenge." Lightning admitted. "On one hand, I got to use my muscles in real life, on the other hand it had been so long since I did a real challenge I wasn't really used to it."

* * *

The scene switched over to the contestants inside the bus all of them looking rather bored. The camera zoomed in on Amy and Sky who were in the middle of a conversation.

"So where do you think he's taking us?" Sky wondered.

"Wherever it is it isn't going to be fun." Amy replied.

"He mentioned the countryside. Maybe he's just going to drop us off in the woods." Sky suggested.

"Ugh, I hope not." Amy remarked. "I had enough of that back on the island."

"Yeah, that's a fair point." Sky admitted. "But at least this stuff won't be as bad as the weird virtual reality stuff."

"I dunno, somehow I feel like it could be worse." Amy said.

"You're real negative, you know that?" Sky observed.

"It's called being realistic." Amy stated.

"Okay, sure, that's another way to look at it." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I sure hope my alliance with Sky isn't starting to disintegrate." Amy admitted. "Nah... I think I'm just imagining things."

* * *

The camera panned back furhter in the bus over to where Shawn and Lightning were sitting together.

"So what're your thoughts 'bout the challenge being all changed?" Lightning asked.

"I'm trying to stay optimistic about it. But I've got this feeling that it's going to be really though." Shawn said.

"No way, we've gone through some crazy stuff this season." Lightning stated. "It's gonna be just fine. Hell, I bet I can even win again."

"Huh, now there's something I'd like to see." Shawn remarked. "No, seriously, it'd actually be pretty great if you won again."

Before their interaction could continue further, the bus came to a sudden stop.

"All right, everyone off!" Chef announced. "We're here!"

"You hear him, let's get this challenge started for real." Chris repeated.

With the bus now at a complete stop, the contestants got off of it closely followed by the hosts. Once they were out, it became clear that they parked right in front of a farmhouse.

"Welcome to the farm!" Chris announced.

"Huh, this feels kinda like my home." Scott remarked.

"Uh... What exactly is this?" Dave asked.

"Well, let's just wait for our lovely guest to get here first." Chris replied.

"Guest?" Sky confusedly repeated.

The front door of the farmhouse opened up and a brain haired middle aged woman in denim jeans and a flannel shirt stepped out.

"Hey! What're ya doin' on my property! Shoo!" The woman yelled. "Oh... Hold on a second... Yer from the TV shows."

"Yes, we are." Chris said. "We're here to do our thing."

"All right, just try not to break anything while yer on my farm." The woman told him.

Chris turned to the contestants.

"This is Deb. As you can see, it's her farm." Chris explained.

"Now that the crazy farm lady's here can ya explain?" Lightning requested.

"Yes we can." Chris replied. "This challenge is based off the film 'Of Mice and Men'. In it, you'll have to do various tasks around this farm in order to gain points. Whoever has the most points after the completion of four tasks is our winner."

"Uh, what does any of that have to do with Of Mice and Men?" Gwen asked.

"It took place on a farm. Haven't you even seen the film?" Chris replied.

"Wait, I thought it was a book?" Dave pointed out.

"He's got a point." Deb agreed.

"Seriously Deb, you're supposed to be on my side." Chris said. "Look, I'm the host here and what I say is final."

"Fine, sure." Dave replied.

"Oh, and we're not done yet." Chris continued. "I'll be splitting you off into groups of two for this challenge. Just to make things interesting."

"Do we get to pick the groups?" Amy asked.

"Nope. If you did, that'd make it too easy to pick people you'd get along with." Chris stated. "So instead I picked the groups. And those groups are Scott and Sky, Amy and Dave, Shawn and Sierra, and Lightning and Gwen."

"I'm confused, what do we do now?" Sierra asked.

"We move to our first task of the challenge." Chris explained.

"Y'all will be followin' me for that." Deb told the contestants.

Deb began walking away from the area and the contestants began to follow.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Wasn't exactly a fan of the farming based challenge." Dave admitted. "There's just all that potential dirt that could get on me."

* * *

After following around Deb, the contestants were led over to a stretch of a field with four tractors parked in it.

"All right, now what'cha gonna have here is a good ol' fashioned tractor race." Deb explained.

"That's right, it's as simple as that." Chris continued. "You drive these around the farm with one of you driving and the other one navigating. So, let's not delay any longer. All of you get up there."

The groups of contestants climbed up into the four tractors in their pairs. Shawn, Scott, Amy, and Gwen all ended up as the drivers of their respective tractors with their partners being in the passenger area. The camera focused on Sierra and Shawn in their tractor.

"Wow, I didn't even know they made two-seater tractors." Sierra remarked as her partner began to try and figure out how to start up the vehicle.

"Hey Sierra, could we talk about this later?" Shawn requested. "Do me a favour and find a map for me."

"Oh, okay, map." Sierra replied.

Sierra looked down on the floor of the tractor and saw a folded up map. She immediately picked it up and unfolded it. Shawn began to drive forward at almost the same moment as Lightning and Gwen got their car up and running.

"Whee! Let's go!" Sierra cheered.

"Sierra, less cheering, more directions." Shawn instructed her.

"Oh, right, right." Sierra said, looking down at the map.

The scene switched over to Amy and Dave's tractor. Amy had begun to drive it in the same direction as the other tractors and seemed to be intensely focused on not being in last.

"C'mon Amy, you can win this... You're not a loser like Samey..." Amy tried to motivate yourself.

Dave didn't say anything and instead just stared at his partner.

"Hey! Dave! Read that map to me." Amy ordered him.

"Oh! Right, right." Dave remembered, looking down at the map. "Uh... Okay we should drive in a circle around this barn coming up."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"It's on the map. Why would the map lie?" Dave replied.

"To be frank, I just don't trust you." Amy admitted.

"Has Sky been saying things about me?" Dave asked. "Because if she has they aren't true."

"Can we talk about this later?" Amy requested. "Because right now I could really do with some directions."

"Right, sure, that." Dave said.

The scene then changed over to the tractor occupied by Scott and Sky. They were in the middle of driving a circle around the barn and were in front of Amy and Dave but behind the other two cars.

"Hey, Sky, whatta we do after the barn?" Scott asked.

"Uh, says here that we gotta go back towards the farmhouse." Sky told him.

"Really? That's it?" Scott remarked. "That sounds really easy."

Scott looked ahead at the road and saw that he was coming straight towards a hay bale.

"Gah!" Scott exclaimed before swerving the tractor to the right, narrowly avoiding that. "Jeez, I don't remember seeing that on the walk to the tractors."

"This must've put them there to challenge us." Sky theorized. "Look out, there's another one!"

Scott swerved left and dodged a hay bale up in front of her.

"Please don't crash..." Sky pleaded.

"It's harder than it looks, pal." Scott told her.

"Y'know what, just don't talk to me and drive." Sky advised.

"Good idea." Scott said as he drove out of the way of another bale.

The camera's view then switched over to Gwen and Lightning inside their tractor together. The two of them were right next to Shawn and Sierra's tractor as the both of them raced to be in first past the hay bales.

"Quick! Turn, turn, turn!" Lightning shouted at Gwen.

"I'm doing it." Gwen said as they missed another bale.

"C'mon, you gotta turn faster!" Lightning exclaimed. "There's three more ahead and you barely missed that last one."

"If you think you know so much then maybe you should've driven." Gwen replied.

"Hey, I thouhgt I was jumpin' into the drivers side." Lightning stated.

"Well, it's too late to switch now." Gwen told him.

"Ya sure?" Lightning asked. "Maybe if we-"

Whatever Lightning was about to say next was cut short when their tractor slammed right into an oncoming bale of hay.

"Um, oops." Gwen said. "Don't worry, this'll only take a moment to fix."

Gwen began backing up their tractor but as she was doing this the car's driven by Scott and Sky as well as Dave and Amy passed by her.

"Make that moment happen quick, girl!" Lightning yelled in a panic.

"Doing the best I can." Gwen stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"I didn't know Lightning that well back in All-Stars." Gwen admitted. "But now that I've gotten a chance to know him, I think I was right about not liking him back then."

* * *

The scene switched over to Deb, Chef, and Chris waiting over at the farmhouse.

"How much longer do ya reckon they'll be?" Deb wondered.

"Hope it's not too long. I've got a schedule to keep up." Chris said.

"I feel like it can't be that much longer, right." Chef remarked.

"Hold on now, I think I see one of 'em comin' now." Deb said.

The tractor containing Sierra and Shawn drove up to the hosts and their guest before stopping.

"Wow! We made it!" Shawn cheered.

"Yay! First place!" Sierra exclaimed as she hugged Shawn.

"Congrats, as our first placers get you are rewarded with four points." Chris explained.

Soon after Chris said this, Amy and Dave's vehicle drove up to him followed by Scott and Sky's tractor.

"Amy and Dave: Second! Scott and Sky: Third!" Chris announced.

"Ha! In your face!" Amy cheered.

"Oh, come on, Amy." Sky said. "I'm on your side."

"I got caught up in the moment." Amy said.

Just after that exchange, Lightning and Gwen's partially smashed up tractor slowly drove up to the farmhouse.

"Yep, we're definitely in last." Lightning remarked.

"I didn't think crashing into that hay would slow us down _this_ much." Gwen said.

"Okay, so just as a recap Shawn and Sierra and in the lead, Gwen and Lightning are at the end, and the other two groups are somewhere in the middle." Chris recapped. "Now, if you'll follow Deb we can get on with the challenge."

"That's right y'all, c'mon htis way." Deb told the contestants as she started walking away from the area.

The contestants dismounted their tractors and began to follow.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"After doing nothing but sitting in chairs while our brains went on adventures all season, it was actually kinda exhausting to go do this farm stuff." Sky admitted. "But on the bright side, it was also a bit energizing."

* * *

A little while later, Deb had led the contestants over to a long picnic table with four plates of cooked corn on the cob on it. There was so much on each plate that it was practically overflowing with food.

"All right y'all, I'm bettin' yer hungry after that long trip." Deb remarked. "So we're gonna get'cha to eat all this corn I got."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Lightning remarked.

"Oh, trust me, you'll be eating those words once you're eating that massive amount of corn." Chris told him. "The first group to finish their whole plate wins first place for this segment of the challenge. So, let's not waste any more time. Everyone, it's time to eat!"

Nobody really did anything.

"Oh for cryin' out loud! Y'all stupid or somethin'?" Deb remarked. "Sit down at the table and stuff yer face. It ain't that hard!"

"So the challenge started?" Dave asked.

"Yes!" Chris and Deb yelled at the same time.

With that last bit of confirmation, the four groups rushed over to the table and sat down in front of the four plates.

"Jeez, these guys ya got are kinda idiots." Deb told Chris.

"Yeah, well, it makes for great TV." Chris claimed.

The camera focused on Dave and Amy as they begun to eat their corn.

"Ugh, this isn't going to be fun." Dave remarked to himself.

"Oh, grow up. It's just corn." Amy told him.

"But it's so gross and slippery." Dave protested. "And as a rule of thumb I like to eat foods that I can use a fork and knife for."

"Listen, if you don't win this challenge, I'm going to vote for you. And Sky probably will too." Amy stated. "How's that for motivation?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, that works." Dave agreed.

Dave grabbed a piece of corn from his plate and began eating it.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Not a fan of food that makes my hands greasy." Dave stated. "And I'm especially not a fan of eating large amounts of food that makes my hands greasy."

* * *

The camera then focused on Lightning and Gwen eating the food on their plate together. Several discarded cobs were near them.

"We're totally gonna win this one." Lightning said. "C'mon Gwen, we can do this!"

"Calm down, you don't wanna choke." Gwen told him as she was chewing, sounding rather annoyed.

"No way man, nothin' bad ever happens to Lightning." Lightning claimed. "We're totally gonna get first."

"Ugh, sure, but don't blame me with you feel like your stomach wants to kill you." Gwen said.

"Pfft, whatever man." Lightning laughed a little. "Now c'mon girl, get back to eating."

The camera panned along the table over to Sierra and Shawn eating.

"Mmm, this is actually pretty good." Sierra remarked between bites. "I could eat this stuff all day."

"I'm not sure I can..." Shawn trailed off as she slowly took another bite.

"Is it the taste or the texture you don't like?" Sierra asked.

"Neither." Shawn admitted. "It's the _sound_."

Sierra stopped eating her corn and looked at Shawn with a confused expression.

"Could you explain, please?" Sierra requested.

"All the biting makes me think of the sound a zombie makes when it chomps down on human flesh!" Shawn explained, sounding progressively more panicked as things went on.

"Well, um, try not to think about that, okay?" Sierra suggested.

"It's really hard not to." Shawn stated.

"Oh boy... This is gonna take a while, isn't it?" Sierra wondered to herself.

"Hey, maybe you could eat all the corn?" Shawn suggested.

"I think we both have to eat it." Sierra said.

"Chris never said that." Shawn pointed out.

"Oh, trust me, Chris never tells you all the rules." Sierra said.

The camera panned over to Scott and Sky eating their corn. They'd manage to get through a fair amount of it.

"Ugh, this stuff starts tasting so _bland_ after going through so much of it." Sky complained.

"Yeah, you'd think they'd give us some salt or something to make it interesting." Scott agreed as he grabbed another ear of corn.

"Who would've thought Chris could make eating _normal food_ a chore." Sky remarked.

The two of them paused to continue eating for a moment.

"You know something, Sky?" Scott commented. "You aren't as bad as I thought you'd be."

"Um, thank you?" Sky confusedly replied. "Has Dave been saying bad things about me?"

"I just got the impression that you'd be kinda unlikeable." Scott stated.

"Oh..." Sky trailed off, not quite sure where to continue.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure Amy and Dave are having this exact same conversation." Scott told her.

"Yeah, they probably are." Sky realized.

"Now stop talking and start stuffing your face." Scott told her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Scott was surprisingly not so bad." Sky admitted. "Probably wouldn't wanna hang out with him for too long, but he wasn't the worst or anything... I know that's not very high praise but it's not low praise either. So, y'know, take that however you'd like."

* * *

The camera focused on Chef, Chris, and Deb watching the competitors eat all the corn.

"Man, I spent hours cookin' that there corn and they're goin' through it like a termite through a twig." Deb remarked.

"Hey Deb, I got a question." Chef remarked. "If you live in rural Ontario, what's with the thick southern accent?"

"What are you talking about?" Chris asked his partner. "Everyone who lives on a farm talks like that."

"We're in Canada, man. Not Alabama." Chef pointed out.

"Will y'all shut up?" Deb requested. "I'm one hundred percent Canadian."

"So explain the outta place accent." Chef said.

"Oh hey!" Chris suddenly exclaimed. "Looks like we got some first placers!"

The camera focused on Lightning and Gwen finishing off the last of their corn.

"Sha-boom! First place, baby!" Lightning cheered. "What'd I tell ya, Gwen? We won."

"Just because you were right doesn't mean I have to like you." Gwen stated.

"Wonder who our number two winner is gonna be?" Chris remarked.

"Done! We're done!" Chris heard Amy call out.

Chris looked over and saw that Dave and Amy had just finished off their corn.

"Ugh... I never wanna do that again." Dave complained.

"Oh shut up, at least we got second." Amy told him.

"Indeed you did. Which means three points for the two of you." Chris said. "But the question is, who will get thir-"

"We're finished!" Scott called out.

Chris looked over tow here Sky and Scott had just finished eating the corn on their plate.

"This actually wasn't so bad after I got used to it." Sky admitted.

"Really coulda done with some salt though." Scott added.

"Well, with you two in third place that means Shawn and Sierra get last place by default." Chris explained.

"Phew, thank god I don't have to eat any more of these." Shawn remarked as he put down an ear of corn.

"So, just to review the scores real quick, Amy and Dave lead with six points, Gwen and Lightning and Sierra and Shawn both are tied for second with five points, and in last currently we have Scott and Sky with four points." Chris recapped. "But it still could be anyone's game. Deb, please lead us to the next area of the challenge."

Deb nodded and turned to the contestants.

"All right y'all, follow me." Deb told them as she began to walk away from the area.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Y'know, sometimes I wonder how Chris meets these people." Sky said.

* * *

The scene changed to Deb leading all the competitors over to the side of the barn which showed a large amount of chipped and peeling paint on it.

"All right y'all, the next challenge is to paint this here barn." Deb explained. "Each of ya gets a section of the barn to paint and the first one of y'all to completely coat yer part of the barn wins."

"You just wanted someone to paint your barn for free, didn't you?" Shawn theorized.

"Pretty much." Deb admitted.

"Deb's honourary co-host today so whatever she says goes." Chris told the contestants. "So get painting, everyone!"

"Seriously?" Amy complained.

"Hey, don'cha question, me all right?" Deb replied. "You wanna win whatever this show's called or not?"

"Okay, fine, whatever." Amy said.

"That's the spirit, kinda." Chris said. "But seriously, everyone start painting. Now!"

The groups grabbed brushes and buckets of red paint that were placed near them and moved closer to the barn.

"Somethin' tells me this is gonna be borin' as hell." Chef remarked.

"Pfft, what makes you say that?" Chris asked.

"It's paintin' a barn. What's the most interesting thing that could happen?" Chef replied.

The camera focused on Scott and Sky as they painted their barn.

"So, this seems like it's gonna be pretty dull." Scott said. "Wanna talk about anything?"

"Uh... Sure." Sky replied. "So... Um, seen any movies lately."

"Nope, not too big on movies." Scott admitted.

"Oh boy... This is going to be _boring_." Sky realized.

"Yep, let's just try to get it done without any distractions." Scott said.

"Right, right." Sky replied as she picked up the painting pace.

The two of them painted in silence for a few moments.

"So... You like me?" Sky asked. "As a person I mean."

"You're just all right, okay." Scott said. "Can't see spending time with you by choice."

"Oh, well, I feel the same way." Sky remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Me and Sky had some pretty weird social interactions today." Scott admitted.

* * *

The camera panned to Sierra and Shawn painting their part of the barn.

"Oh boy, I sure hope we can paint all of this in time." Sierra remarked.

"Oh, don't worry. I think we've got this." Shawn replied. "I've studied construction and painting."

"Why?" Sierra asked.

"For building my bunker, obviously." Shawn said.

"Huh, guess that makes sense." Sierra remarked. "Sweet, so you're saying we have an advantage?"

"Well, I don't wanna brag. But I'd say we do." Shawn replied.

"Awesome!" Sierra cheered. "We're totally gonna win this one."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Sierra may be a bit crazy, but, I gotta say, she's not that bad to hang around." Shawn admitted. "Wouldn't make a habit of it though."

* * *

The camera moved over to Lightning and Gwen working on their section of the barn wall.

"C'mon, girl! Paint that thing as fast as you can!" Lightning yelled.

"Hey, I'm trying." Gwen replied as she continued to paint. "It's very difficult to focus with you shouting."

"Sorry, man. I just don't wanna end up doin' all the work like last time." Lightning told her.

"Okay, I'll have you know that I totally helped in that last challenge." Gwen said.

"Yeah, but like, I did most of it." Lightning claimed.

"You know what, let's talk about that later." Gwen said.

"Good idea, girl. We should focus on paintin' the wall." Lightning agreed. "How long do you think this'll take?"

"Too long, that's what I say." Gwen remarked.

"Man, I sha-agree with you there." Lightning remarked. "Farm lady picked the most boring challenge ever here."

"Shut up! I needed that here wall painted before storm season!" Deb shouted from out of the camera's view.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Today was kinda surreal." Gwen admitted. "Seriously, pretty much _everything_ about today was unexpected. And _not_ in a good way for the record."

* * *

The camera then went over to focus on Amy and Dave painting the barn.

"Ugh, my wrist hurts from all this painting." Dave complained.

"Shut up." Amy told him. "Sometimes, you just have to accept that life isn't what you want. Honestly, you're as bad as my sister when it comes to complaining."

"Well, I'll have you know that I'd rather talk to Sky than to you." Dave told her.

"Good, I'm glad you hate me because I hate you too." Amy said.

"Well... I... Dammit, I can't think of a good comeback." Dave admitted.

"Well, maybe you should focus on painting then." Amy told him. "Y'know, so we can win."

"It's hard to do that when you keep arguing with me." Dave said.

"Well maybe I'll be quiet then!" Amy angrily replied.

"Good!" Dave remarked in an equally angry tone. "Let's keep painting!"

The two of them contineud painting while trying to avoid eye contact with each other.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"Having to spend time with Amy almost made me want to vote her off more than Sky." Dave admitted. " _Almost_."

* * *

The camera focused itself on Chris, Chef, and Deb watching the four groups of competitors.

"Hey, how long have we been here?" Chris wondered.

Deb looked down at her wrist.

"Ah dammit, my watch ain't workin'." Deb realized.

"I'm sorry, can I bring up the accent thing again?" Chef asked.

"What accent thing?" Chris replied.

"She's obviously doin' a fake southern accent for some reason." Chef said.

"Hey! Them false accusations really burn my cornbread so why don'cha shut it?" Deb told him.

"That's obviously a fake accent." Chef told her.

"Just leave her alone. She's letting us use her farm, remember." Chris said.

"Nobody says 'Burns my cornbread'. What's that even mean?" Chef asked.

"Well, it's like 'Ruffles my feathers' but more southern-y." Deb answered.

"But you're Canadian." Chef pointed out.

"Quiet you two! Looks like we've got our first placers!" Chris suddenly cheered.

The camera panned over to Gwen and Lightning finishing up their portion of the barn.

"Sha-boom! First place again, baby!" Lightning cheered. "We're the greatest Well, I did most of the work."

"Oh come on, I helped too." Gwen pointed out.

"Yeah, but Lightning helped out the most." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Ugh! Lightning is so irritating and egotistical! Does he ever sha-shut up!" Gwen grumpily yelled.

* * *

"Haha, isn't that nice?" Chris remarked, faking a laugh. "So, who will end up being our second placers this round?"

"Us!" Sierra's voice cheered from off camera .

The camera panned over to Shawn and Sierra standing next to their completed section of wall.

"Yep, we're done." Shawn confirmed. "And people made fun of me for taking those bunker painting classes."

"There are calsses?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah, there are classes for everything these days." Shawn told her.

"Really gimme some examples. I'm kinda curious now." Sierra said.

"We're done also!" Sky cheered from out of view.

The camera panned to Sky and Scott standing next to their fully painted part of the barn.

"And thank god too. Because I was really getting bored of listening to those two." Scott remareked.

Chris walked over to Scott and Sky's part of the barn.

"Well, looks like you guys got third and since there are no more options left, that means Amy and Dave get last." Chris explained.

"Ugh! Dammit!" Amy yelled as she threw her paintbrush down on the ground.

"Now, before we continue, let's look at the scores real quick." Chris said. "In first right now we have Gwen and Lightning with nine, Sierra and Shawn with eight, Amy and Dave in second with seven, and in last we've got Scott and Sky with six. But, who knows, the game can still be turned around. Speaking of which, let's move on to the next part of the challenge. Deb, please show the way."

"You got it." Deb replied. "All right y'all, c'mon this way."

Deb began to walk away from the area and everybody else followed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Chris)**

"Getting Deb to be on this show was kinda an experiment." Chris admitted. "But whether or not it was a successful experiment is another story."

* * *

The scene changed over to Deb leading the contestants to four washtubs full of water with apples floating in them.

"All right y'all, here's yer last challenge." Deb told them. "It's a good ol' fashion bobbin' for apples contest."

"That's not too hard." Sky confidently said.

"Oh, I ain't finished yet." Deb replied. "You don't gotta get all the apples or anything like that. You're lookin' for a specific apple. It's got my name carved into it."

"That still doesn't sound too hard." Scott admitted.

"Well, I still ain't done." Deb stated. "You ain't allowed to take any apples outta the tub. So if ya pull out the wrong apple ya gotta put it back in."

"Okay, okay, fine now it sounds difficult." Gwen told her.

"So, you guys ready?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Dave remarked.

"Great, get in front of those apple tubs and start looking for the right apple." Chris told them. "C'mon people, let's do this!"

The four groups went over to the four tubs of apples.

"And start bobbing for apples!" Chris announced.

The camera focused on Sierra and Shawn as the former of the two dunked their head into the tub.

"Um, go Sierra!" Shawn tried to cheer his partner on. "You can probably do it. And uh... Aw dammit, I'm not good at coming up with motivation."

Sierra popped her head out of the water with an apple in her mouth. She grabbed the apple out of her mouth and looked it over.

"Did I get it?" Sierra asked.

The two of them looked at the apple for several moments.

"Doesn't look like it." Shawn remarked.

"Well, back it goes." Sierra said as she dropped the apple back in the tub. "Well Shawn, your turn. C'mon, let's go!"

"Oh, right. Hold my hat for me." Shawn said as he removed his hat and gave it to Sierra.

The camera panned over to Amy and Dave at the tub next to them. Amy had her head submerged in the tub while Dave was waiting.

"Huh, wonder how long she can stay down there." Dave remarked. "Wish I was wearing a watch so I could keep track."

After a few more moments, Amy stuck her head out of the water with an apple in her mouth. She took the apple out and looked at it for a few moments.

"Is that farm lady's name on it?" Dave asked.

"I don't know, maybe you can help me check." Amy replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Dave looked at the apple as well.

"Huh, I don't see anything." Dave remarked.

"Well, neither do I. Thanks for nothing." Amy said as she dropped the apple back in the water. "C'mon, now it's your turn."

"Oh, okay." Dave replied.

"Let's go, get your face in there." Amy told him.

"Okay, wow, don't be so pushy." Dave remarked.

The camera moved over to Sky and Scott at their tub. Scott had his face in the tub trying to pick up the right apple.

"Uh, you see anything?" Sky asked.

There was no response.

"Oh, right, you can't hear me." Sky said.

Sky watched Scott's head under the water for a few more moments.

"Huh, he's been down there for... Almost a mintue." Sky realized. "Oh my god, maybe he's not okay!"

Sky grabbed Scott by the back of his shirt and pulled him out of the water.

"No! I almost had it!" Scott yelled.

"What?" Sky asked.

"I saw the right apple." Scott explained.

"Are you sure?" Sky asked.

"Well, actually, it was pretty blurry under the water." Scott admitted. "But I'm like, forty percent sure I saw the right apple."

"It's my turn to have a go now." Sky said. "Oh, can you tell me what the apple looked like before I go?"

"I, um, can't remember. Kinda like an apple with some marks on it." Scott replied.

"Well, at least you tried." Sky remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"It's weird how _not_ aggressive me and Scott were. Almost to the point of it being kinda worrying." Sky said.

* * *

The camera moved over to Lightning and Gwen with the former of the two searching for the correct apple.

"I feel like I should be cheering him on... But I can't think of anything to say." Gwen admitted.

Gwen looked at Lightning as he was searching through the tub of apples.

"Wow, he's been in there for a while hasn't he." Gwen realized.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Gwen)**

"Y'know, if I have to say one nice thing about Lightning, it's that he's really determined." Gwen remarked. "Hmm... Yeah, that's really all I can say. Don't care for him..."

* * *

Suddenly, Lightning took his head out of the tub with an apple between his teeth.

"Gah!" Gwen exclaimed. "Please don't surprise me like that."

Lightning grapped the apple out of his mouth.

"Sorry, man." Lightning replied. "Those apples are slippery and Lightning was just excited to grab one."

"But is it the right apple?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, I didn't check that." Lightning realized. "Hang on."

Lightning looked at the apple for a few moments, trying to find the word "Deb" carved into it.

"Nah, just a plain old boring apple." Lightning said before tossing the apple back into the tub. "Okay Gwen, your turn."

"Huh? Oh, right." Gwen said before moving in towards the tub. "Hey, how long do you think this is gonna take?"

"Dunno, man." Lightning replied. "Probably not too long if you get to work now."

"Okay, got it. I'll take the hint." Gwen said before putting her head under the water.

The scene switched over to Chris, Chef, and Deb watching the challenge.

"So how many apples are in there?" Chris wondered.

"I dunno. I just bought a whole bunch of 'em from the store, carved my name into four of 'em, and tossed 'em in these tubs." Deb replied. "I reckon enough apples to keep the game interesting though."

"I hate to keep bringin' it up, can we talk about how you're obviously doing a fake accent." Chef interjected.

"Why're you still talkin' 'bout that, city slicker?" Deb asked. "Just drop it already."

"Y'know what, forget it." Chef said. "It's clearly pointless to keep arguin'. Besides, this is probably the part where someone cuts me off by sayin'-"

"We got first place!" Sky cheered from off camera.

The camera panned back over to Sky and Scott's tub. Scott held an apple with the name "Deb" curdely carved into it by a knife.

"Huh, didn't think we'd be able to pull out of our third place streak." Scott admitted as he looked at the apple. "But hey, here we are."

"Impressive." Chris admitted. "But the question is, who will be our-"

"Second place!" Sierra cheered from out of view.

"Wow, are you guys mindreaders today or what?" Chris remarked.

The camera moved to show Shawn holding the apple marked "Deb" up in the air.

"Yep, that secures us second place." Shawn proudly stated.

The camera then switched back over to the hosts.

"Well, that sure is nice." Chris remarked before looking back at Chef. "So who do you think is gonna get last?"

"My money's on blondie and sweatervest." Deb remarked.

"You mean Dave and Amy?" Chris asked.

"I dunno, I just met these people today." Deb said. "You 'spect me to remember their names?"

"Well, guess what!" Amy half-cheered half-yelled from off camera.

The camera focused on her and Dave with the latter of them holding the apple marked "Deb".

"Looks like blondie and sweatervest _aren't_ in last!" Amy exclaimed. "Take that!"

"Okay, um, very enthusiastic, Amy." Chris said. "And because of your third placement, Gwen and Lightning are in last."

"Sha-damn, I felt like we were close." Lightning remarked.

"So, uh, we win the whole thing, right?" Scott asked.

"Not so fast. You need to brush up on your math skills." Chris told them. "You have ten points which ties you with Gwen and Lightning for _second_. Amy and Dacve are in last with nine points which by process of elimination leaves our winners as... Sierra and Shawn in first place with eleven points! Meaning they win invincibility tonight!"

"Yay! We did it!" Sierra cheered.

"And now that we're done here, let's bid Deb here a farewell and head back to the film lot." Chris told the contestants before turning to Chef. "Chef, start up the bus."

Deb turned to the camera.

"Remember y'all if you want quality local local produce in Ontario come to Deb's Family Farm." Deb told the camera.

"Uh... What's she doing?" Dave asked.

"Oh, right, forgot to tell you. The only reason Deb agreed to use her farm for this episode is that we told her she could promote it." Chris explained. "But that's not important, c'mon, let's get to the bus."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Having a non-virtual challenge sure was different." Shawn remarked. "And I'm still trying to figure out if it was a _good_ different or a _bad_ different."

* * *

The scene changed to later with all the contestants on the bus heading back home. The camera focused on the very back of the bus where Scott and Dave were sitting together.

"Well, today's challenge sure sucked for us." Scott remarked.

"Yeah, yeah, losing is pretty bad." Dave agreed. "Let's just talk about something else."

"How about who we should vote for?" Scott suggested.

"Hmm, good idea." Dave replied. "I'm thinking we go for Sky."

"Ugh, of course that's what you say." Scott remarked.

"Oh c'mon, who would you go for?" Dave asked. "Sky's clearly the best target."

"I dunno, I was thinking Amy." Scott replied.

"Why her?" Dave said.

"I feel like she poses a bigger threat than Sky." Scott explained.

"Really? Amy?" Dave asked.

"They've made it this far into the game and I don't really think they've done much of anything." Scott stated. "Well, y'know, besides verbally assault everyone they meet."

"Well, that means they _shouldn't_ be a threat, right?" Dave argued. "Y'know, since they've barely done anything. We should vote for Sky."

"I feel like your obsession with your ex is bordering on unhealthy." Scott remarked.

"It's not unhealthy. Trust me, I'm sure Sky's planning to vote me out too." Dave told his partner.

"Y'know what, let's talk about this later." Scott decided. "I'm too tired to do any more of this."

"All right, fine." Dave replied. "We'll figure this out when we get back to the film lot."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Jesus, the whole reason I teamed up with Dave is 'cause I thought he'd be easy to boss around." Scott told the camera. "Who knew that'd be way harder than I thought."

* * *

The scene changed to later that night at the stage where the elimination ceremony was held. Chris got up on the stage and looked out at the gathered contestants.

"All right, people. Today certainly was... Different." Chris remarked. "Hope you all liked it."

"I didn't." Gwen stated.

"Too bad." Chris replied. "I personally thought it was a quaint little farm."

"If by 'Quaint' you mean disgusting than I agree with you." Amy remarked.

"Okay, okay, I'll try to source a nicer location if this ever happens again." Chris stated. "But for now, let's move on to the important thing. The votes! That's right, everyone get in there and vote!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

"To be honest, it's either Dave or Sky for me." Scott told the audience. "I know it's stupid to vote out my own alliance. But after that conversation we had earlier, I'm starting to think I might wanna search for new blood. But I don't know yet."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave held up a crossed out picture of Sky to the camera.

"Seriously Sky, the sooner you leave, the happier I feel." Dave said. "No offence... Okay, maybe a little offence."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning drew an X over one of Gwen's photos.

"Man, Lightning's gettting the feeling that you don't like him." Lightning remarked. "I ain't sure where it's coming from, but I'm just getting that feeling."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn put an X over one of Gwen's pictures.

"Lightning told me to vote for Gwen tonight." Shawn explained. "He didn't tell me why, but I don't really care. The less competition there is for me, the better."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy showed a crossed out photograph of Lightning to the camera.

"Ugh, this guy is such an idiot. How the hell did he even make it this far?" Amy remarked. "The less I see of him, the better."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over one of the pictures of Lightning.

"You're somehow a threat but also the opposite of a threat at the same time." Sky stated. "Not sure how that works, but the point is I feel like you staying around is bad news."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Gwen)**

Gwen crossed out a photograph of Lightning.

"Jeez, you were _very_ annoying today." Gwen said. "So, the less I see of you, the better."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

"Hmm... It's either Gwen or Sky for me." Sierra explained. "I mean, yeah, Gwen was being nice to me earlier today but she's a really good player and I kinda don't want any players better than me still in the game. Then again Sky's stronger than me physically. Yeah... I need more time to think."

* * *

The scene switched over to Chris getting back up on stage carrying a plate of Gilded Chris Awards with him.

"Okay people, we've tallied the votes and I'm ready to make the big announcement." Chris told the competitors.

"In that case, let's hear it." Sky said.

"Right, first let's start with the people who nobody voted for." Chris began. "Aside from Sierra and Shawn, who have invincibility, Scott, Amy, and Dave are also safe."

Chris threw the mentioned contestants their awards.

"Okay, Lightning, Gwen, and Sky. I'm going to hand out another award to one of you." Chris explained. "And it goes to..."

"Hold up! I just remembered something!" Lightning suddenly interrupted.

"Uh, okay. This had better be good." Chris remarked. "What did you remember."

"I got the sha-idol!" Lightning cheered as he pulled the wooden Chris idol out of his pocket. "That means I get to stay."

Lightning took the wooden Chris idol he had found out of his pocket and held it above his head.

"Take a good look at it!" Lightning cheered.

Chris tossed Lightning the penultimate Gilded Chris Award.

"Now all votes against Lightning don't count, which is good because there was gonna be a tie between him and one of you to ladies. And I don't want another tiebreaker." Chris said. "Gwen, Sky, with a vote of three-two, the final Chris Statue goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sky!"

Chris threw Sky the final award.

"Phew, I feel like that was a close one." Sky remarked.

"So Gwen, that means tonight you're going home." Chris told her.

"Aw man, I thought I was doing pretty well." Gwen remarked.

"Hey, that's the way it goes sometimes." Chris said. "So, if you wouldn't mind showing yourself out."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go do that." Gwen said.

Gwen stood up from the bleachers and looked around at her fellow contestants.

"Well guys, it was good while it lasted." Gwen remarked. "See you all later, I guess."

Gwen walked away from the bleachers and went towards the red carpet. Once she reached the end of the carpet she entered the limousine where. After taking a few moments to relax, Gwen noticed the camera inside the limo.

"Well, it sure was fun while it lasted." Gwen admitted. "I'm definitely happier now than when I started... Although... I really need to stop agreeing to be on these shows. Anyway, can we get this car moving?"

The camera cut to outside the limousine as it drove away. Once it was gone, Chris walked up to the end of the carpet.

"And there goes another one." Chris remarked. "Well, it looks like we're down to seven. But it'll be six pretty soon too. How soon? And which of our contestants will be leaving? I dunno, I'm not a psychic. The only way to know for sure is to stay tuned for Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Scott, Dave, Sky, Amy, Shawn, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (11th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (10th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (9th Place)

Gwen the Loner (8th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: Sky

Dave: Sky

Lightning: Gwen

Shawn: Gwen

Amy: Lightning

Sky: Lightning

Gwen: Lightning

Sierra: Gwen

 **Initial Results:**

Lightning: 3 votes (Negated by idol.)

Gwen: 3 votes

Sky: 2 votes

 **Final Results:**

Gwen: 3 votes

Sky: 2 votes

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. As usual, I hope you all had as much fun reading as I did writing. Oh, and I do realize that I already used this whole concept for a challenge before but I thought it'd be fun to revisit it. Hope you all don't mind the repetition.** **As for the elimination, I've been contemplating Gwens elimination for a while now. She was never gonna win the game, I actually had no idea when she was gonna be eliminated, but I knew it was gonna be before the final 5. And I thought 8th was the best place to eliminate her as I had plans for the other contestants. Anyway, that's about it for this chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.**


	14. Night of the Dark Knight

**And now it's time for this story to update. Yep, time for another chapter. Hope I didn't make you guys wait too long. Anyway, I've got very little to say about this new chapter. So let's just get to my review responses:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thank you for the extra info about your challenges. If you couldn't tell from the title, I'm using one of your suggestions right now.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for the review.

 **Well, that went by quicker than usual. Anyway, on to the actual chapter.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our virtual reality machine broke down and we sent everyone down to the farm. They did some farm work and most of them were not happy about it. But in the end, Shawn and Sierra achieved immunity and, thanks to Lightning using his idol, Gwen was eliminated from the show. Too bad, I always wondered if she'd make it to the finale twice. Anyway, we've got another exciting episode planned. So be sure to stick around for some, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

On yet another early morning, all the competitors had gathered in the mess hall to eat another moderately edible breakfast of oatmeal. The camera focused on the table featuring Lightning, Shawn, and Sierra.

"Man, I sure hope we don't gotta do any more farm work today." Lightning remarked.

"I'm sure Chris should've fixed the VR machine by now, right?" Shawn replied.

"I dunno, he likes to cut corners so who knows how long it could take." Sierra said.

"Oh right, you're still here." Shawn remarked.

"Yes I am." Sierra replied. "What about it?"

"Would you mind leaving?" Shawn requested.

"Yeah, you're being kind of a third wheel right now." Lightning added.

"Oh, okay then." Sierra replied. "I'll find someone who wants me."

"No offence." Shawn said. "It's just we kinda wanna have a pirvate conversation."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem." Sierra told him. "Bye, have a good conversation."

Sierra stood up with her oatmeal bowl and walked away from the area.

"What were we gonna talk about, man?" Lightning asked.

"Y'know I can't quite remember to be honest." Shawn admitted. "Probably about out alliance."

"Oh yeah, who do you wanna vote out next?" Lightning remembered.

"Right, we were gonna talk about that." Shawn remembered. "Hmm… I feel like we should take Sierra off the table first off."

"Why her?" Lightning asked.

"She's obviously the only person here not in an alliance." Shawn replied.

"How do you know?" Lightning enquired.

Shawn looked at the other tables which featured Dave and Scott and Amy and Sky respectively each talking with their partners in quiet and possibly conspiratorial tones.

"I have an eye for these things." Shawn stated. "The point is, it'd be best to break up one of the alliance."

"Cool, I'll keep that in mind." Lightning replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like I might've said this already, but despite me not technically _wanting_ to be in this alliance it's working out pretty well." Shawn said.

* * *

The camera focused on the table occupied by Amy and Sky.

"So how's breakfast?" Sky asked. "I haven't been brave enough to try it yet."

"Surprisingly average." Amy said. "Of course, by Chef's standards that makes it a five star meal."

"Huh, cool. Guess I'll eat it then." Sky remarked as she began to eat her breakfast.

"So what do you think is in store today?" Amy wondered. "I sure hope the VR stuff is fixed because doing all that physical work was _not_ fun."

"I dunno, it felt kinda refreshing." Sky admitted.

"Well, I prefer sitting in a chair for a few hours than trying not to crash a tractor." Amy replied.

"All right, that's fair I guess." Sky said.

Before the conversation could continue, Sierra approached the two of them and took a seat across from them.

"Hey ladies, Lightning and Shawn told me to move seats." Sierra explained. "Hope you don't mind me sitting here."

"Well, we do." Amy bluntly stated.

"Oh…" Sierra trailed off. "Y'know, common courtesy usually dictates-"

"Beat it." Amy told her.

"Okay then." Sierra said.

Sierra stood up from the table and walked away from an area.

"You could've been a _little_ nicer." Sky told Amy.

"I don't do 'Nice'. It's never really gotten me anywhere." Amy state.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm really starting to hope there's an _easy_ way out of this alliance with Amy." Sky admitted. "At first the idea seemed okay, but at this point I'm not so sure."

* * *

The scene changed over to Scott and Dave at a table by themselves.

"Hey Scott, I know it's kinda early, but who do you think we should vote for tonight?" Dave asked.

"I don't know." Scott said. "But can we _please_ not vote for Sky this time around."

"Why?" Dave asked.

"I just feel like our efforts are better spent on other targets." Scott explained. "I know you don't like Sky, but as an alliance, it's good to listen to what your partner has to say. And as your partner, you should listen to _me_."

"Okay, fine. Maybe you're right." Dave admitted. "Who do _you_ think we should vote for?"

"I'm not too sure yet." Scott admitted. "But I have a few ideas. For starters-"

"Hey ya boys, mind if I sit here?" Sierra asked.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't." Scott stated.

"Well, uh, I'm going to anyway. Everybody else doesn't want me and I hate sitting alone." Sierra explained. "So looks like yer stuck with me."

"Oh... Yay." Scott sarcastically replied.

"So, what'cha guys talking about?" Sierra tried to strike up conversation.

"Oh, nothing really." Dave claimed.

"It's about your alliance, isn't it?" Sierra guessed.

"I... Uh..." Dave trailed off. "How did you know that?"

"I'm an expert on this show. I know things." Sierra stated.

"God you're weird sometimes." Scott remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"You know, I feel like I have a good shot at winning." Sierra admitted. "Everybody just sees mee as an eccentric fan and not a threat. But I think that's exactly what I need them to think."

* * *

The camera cut to an up close shot of the film lot's loudspeakers.

"And good morning everyone!" Chris' voice blared over the speakers. "Hope you're through with breakfast because it's challenge time! Come down to the warehouse and we're all gonna have some fun!"

The scene then changed over to the usual warehouse with all the competitors arriving and Chris and Chef already standing around in wait.

"Ah, glad you could make it." Chris greeted upon seeing the contestants.

"Can we please just skip right into things this time." Amy requested.

"That's fine, I wanted to do that anyway." Chris claimed. "So, you may remember our failed superhero challenge from yesterday."

"Oh right, we did the farmin' thing instead of that though." Lightning remembered.

"Indeed we did." Chris said. "But guess what... It's happening now! Isn't that great?"

"Uh, yeah. Guess so." Sky replied.

"What are the rules exactly?" Shawn asked.

"Thank you for asking." Chris said. "Now, as you know, most of our budget went into getting our hands on the experimental virtual reality tech. But, I bet you're wondering what the second largest portion of our budget went into."

"Catering?" Scott sarcastically guessed.

"Nope. It went into securing the rights to use characters from a certain superhero franchise for this challenge." Chris explained. "Any guesses as to which hero?"

"Superman!" Sierra enthusiastically guessed.

"No, but you're close." Chris told her. "Anyone else?"

"Uh... I dunno, how about Aquaman?" Sky guessed.

"Seriously? Aquaman?" Chris confusedly replied. "Why is that what you went with?"

"I figured you wouldn't go for anyone _that_ famous." Sky explained.

"Well, you're wrong." Chris stated. "We paid a lot of money and for this episode, you all can step into the world of... Batman!"

"Okay, now I'm interested." Scott admitted.

"Basically, you'll all assume the identities of various Batman characters and must stop a famous Batman villain from stealing some priceless items." Chris explained.

"And what villain is it?" Sierra asked.

"Bane." Chris explained.

"Aw, not Joker?" Sierra remarked.

"Didn't have the budget for Joker." Chris admitted. "But basically, the goal of the challenge is to stop Bane. Shouldn't be that hard except for the fact that it's very hard."

"Oh please, I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake." Amy remarked.

"Well, let's see how you feel about that once we're in there." Chris said. "Anyway, all of you sit down and we can start the challenge."

"Right now?" Scott asked.

"Y'know I feel like we go through this every time." Chris jokingly said. "Seriously, _get in there_."

With the bite in Chris' voice getting more intense, the contestants took the hint and sat down in the chairs around the room.

"Okay, have fun in the virtual world." Chef told the contestants as he pressed several seemingly random buttons on the machine.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I was actually lookin' forward to the challenge." Lightning admitted. "I ain't a comic nerd or anything, but it gives me an excuse to dress up and punch dude. And that sounds sha-fun!"

* * *

Inside the virutal world, the contestants found themselves inside an enormous underground cave that had an abundance of technology such as computers and display cases for weapons around it.

"Oh wow, we're in the Batcave!" Sierra realized. "That's awesome."

"Okay, calm down, nerd." Amy told her. "Oh my god, what the hell are you wearing?"

Sierra looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing black spandex with a logo of a blue hawk with its wings spread out on it.

"Oh cool, I'm Nightwing." Sierra said. "And it looks like you're..."

Sierra took a quick look at Amy and saw that she was wearing black spandex with a cowl that appeared to have cat ears on it.

"Oh! You're Catwoman." Sierra realized.

"Huh, so Chris is making us all play dress up?" Amy remarked.

"At least you guys got lucky." Dave remarked from out of view.

Dave walked over to them to reveal he was dressed up as Robin. The sight of Dave dressed like this caused Amy burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, that is hilarious!" Amy exclaimed between laughs.

"Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen you express actual human emotion." Dave remarked.

"What's so funny over here?" Sky asked as she approached the group of contestants.

Sky wore purple spandex with yellow gloves and boots with a matching coloured bat shaped insignia on her chest. She had a cowl pulled over her head with batlike ears on it.

"Wow, you do look pretty silly." Sky admitted as she looked over Dave.

"Oh shut up." Dave replied. "At least I don't look like... Actually, your Batgirl outfit is pretty cool."

"Trust me guys, you got lucky in the costume department." Shawn stated as she approached the others.

Shawn was wearing a suit with a red vest and black tie.

"I mean, who am I even supposed to be?" Shawn asked.

"Isn't it obvious, you're Alfred." Sierra told her.

"Didn't take you for much of a comic nerd." Shawn remarked.

"It's more of an interest." Sierra stated.

"Then would you please care to explain who I am." Scott requested as he joined the congregation.

Scott wore a brown jacket with a white shirt and black tie underneath. He also wore glasses and had a police badge on his belt.

"Seriously? You don't know Commissioner Gordon?" Sierra asked.

"Oh, okay, _now_ it's pretty obvious." Scott admitted, looking over himself.

"Hold on, I just realized something. None of us are actually Batman." Dave remarked.

"Oh... I wouldn't say 'None of us'." Lightning said from out of everyone's view.

"Oh crap..." Amy trailed off.

Lightning jumped out from the shadow's and into everyone's view dressed as Batman.

"That's right, Lightning gets to be sha-Batman!" Lightning cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Seeing Lightning dressed as Batman was half amazing, half horrifying." Skly stated.

* * *

As soon as all the contestants had been reintroduced to each other, the large computer in the middle of the room's monitor began flashing.

"Alert! Criminal activity has been detected!" A robotic voice cried out from the computer.

"Gah! What's that!?" Dave explained.

"Relax, it's just my computer." Lightning stated.

"You're not really Batman, Lightning." Shawn reminded him.

"Right, right." Lightning said. "Anyway, _Batman's_ computer is givin' him some kinda alarm."

"Three major adversaries detected!" The voice of the robot continued to shouted.

"Is there any way to make this thing quieter?" Sky requested as she put her hands over her ears.

"Hey! Computer guy!" Amy shouted to the computer. "Where exactly are these bad guys?"

"Gotham City Marina!" The computer replied.

"Quickly! To the sha-Batmobile!" Lightning announced. "Woo!"

"This is gonna be interesting." Shawn remarked.

Lightning ran off further into the cave as Shawn followed. Shortly after they were out of sight, the sound of a car speeding off was heard.

"Oh my god, they actually found the Batmobile." Sky remarked.

"C'mon Sky, let's go! We need to see if there are any other bat themed vehicles we can take." Amy told her.

Amy and Sky ran away from the area with Dave and Scott soon following suit. Sierra was left all alone with the computer.

"Huh, I should probably run after them." Sierra realized.

Sierra began sprinting in the direction the others went.

"Hey guys, I call riding the motorcycle!" Sierra announced.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Y'know, I think I'm the only person left who isn't in an alliance." Sierra realized. "I can't tell if that's an advantage or a disadvantage."

* * *

The scene switched to the interior of the Batmobile with Lightning driving and Shawn in the passenger seat.

"So, uh, what's the plan when we get to the marina?" Shawn asked.

"Find the bad guys, beat 'em up. Win the challenge." Lightning stated.

"I feel like it's not gonna be that simple." Shawn told him.

"Pfft, it's always that simple." Lightning said. "'Specially when you're us."

"What do you mean?" Shawn asked.

"You won the last challenge and I won the one before that." Lightning replied. "We got this in the bag."

"I feel like I've seen this before." Shawn remarked.

"Whatta ya mean?" Lightning asked.

"Someone gets overconfident in their abilities, then they fail horribly at the challenge." Shawn said.

"Ah, that's crazy talk." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I like Shawn. He's a bit crazy, but he knows what he's doin'." Lightning stated. "But the dude needs to lighten up sometimes."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the rivers on the outskirts of Gotham city, the Batboat drove through the river. Within the boat itself, Amy piloted the craft with Sky in the passenger seat.

"Are you sure taking the boat is the best idea?" Sky wondered.

"Of course it is. Don't be an idiot." Amy replied. "In fact, it's the _definitive_ best idea."

"Uh, care explaining _how_?" Sky asked.

"This is at the marina which means there's water. So we've basically got a shortcut." Amy explained.

"Okay, but right now it looks like we're going _further_ from the city." Sky pointed out.

"Well, yeah, it'd be quicker to go through the sewers but that just sounds totally _ew_." Amy stated. "Ha, no way I'm doing that."

"So how long is this going to take?" Sky asked.

"I don't know." Amy admitted. "But it'd be a lot quicker if you didn't complain so much."

"Okay, fine, if you say so." Sky said. "Shutting up now."

"Thank you." Amy remarked. "Trust me, you'll regret making fun of me for taking the river once we win."

"Okay Amy, whatever you say." Sky replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I've finally come up with a strategy to deal with Amy." Sky stated. "Just sorta ignore her. That's the best I can do. Hey, at least she's an ally."

* * *

Meanwhile, up in the air, the Batcopter flew through the sky. Inside the helicopter, Scott piloted the vehicle while Dave sat back in the passenger seat.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew how to fly a helicopter." Dave remarked.

"I don't." Scott admitted.

"Wait, what!?" Dave exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm kinda just winging it." Scott stated. "No pun intended."

"Well could you wing it a bit more carefully?" Dave asked.

"I'll try, okay." Scott replied.

"I just feel like there's a chance we could crash before we get to our destination." Dave said. "And that would be really embarrassing."

"Jesus, you can be a real coward sometimes." Scott remarked.

"I'm not a coward." Dave stated. "I'm just cautious."

"That just sounds like the way cowards say they're cowardly." Scott said.

"C'mon man, we're supposed to be on the same side here." Dave pointed out.

"Okay, fine. I guess I'm sorry." Scott replied. "Now would you do me a favour and shut up. I need to focus on flying."

"Oh, sorry." Dave replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I like having Scott on my side." Dave said. "Mostly because it gets another vote on my side... I wish he was nicer to me though."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the streets of Gotham, Sierra drove by herself on her motorcycle.

"Whee! Batcycle away!" Sierra cheered.

Sierra continued driving in silence for a few moments.

"Man, I feel kinda lonely." Sierra realized. "Almost makes me regret voting for Gwen."

She made a sharp turn around a corner and soon enough was driving through the loading area of the docks.

"Oh boy, looks like I've made it to the marina." Sierra said. "Oh, I might wanna be sneaky for this next bit."

Sierra brough her motorcycle to a halt and got off of it. She slowly made her way through the loading area, keeping her eyes out for suspicious activity.

"Wow, this is so exciting." Sierra quietly told herself.

She continued through the marina in silence. But she came to a sudden pause when she heard an noise from behind her that sounded like an engine.

"Huh, I wonder what that is." Sierra said.

Sierra looked over her should and saw the Batmobile speeding towards her.

"Gah!" Sierra screamed as she jumped out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. "What's going on here?!"

The Batmobile crashed into a nearby crate and shortly after Shawn and Lightning climbed out.

"Sha-bam! We're first on the scene!" Lightning cheered.

"Uh, Lightning." Shawn said, pointing over at Sierra.

"Dammit. Well, second on the scene ain't bad." Lightning remarked.

"You guys could've run me over!" Sierra exclaimed.

"We're very sorry." Shawn said.

"But we're also in a hurry to fine Bang or whatever his name was." Lightning added.

"It's Bane." Shawn corrected. "And we'll also be leaving now."

Shawn and Lightning ran off away from the area.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I know I can be a bit... _Ecc_ _entric_. But Lightning, he's just plain weird." Sierra stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the waters of the Gotham city harbour, the Batboat approached the marina.

"What did I tell you? I totally knew what I was doing." Amy claimed.

"Okay, fine, you got us there. I'm sorry or whatever." Sky said.

"Yeah that's right, you'd better be." Amy said.

"But we totally could've made it here faster." Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna smell like a sewer." Amy stated. "Now stop complaining and let me park this boat."

"Fine, fine. Do your thing." Sky told her.

"Thank you." Amy replied.

Amy piloted the boat towards a latter by the docks.

"Okay, we climb up here and look for whatever guy we're supposed to beat up." Amy said.

"Bane." Sky reminded her.

"Do I look like I care about names?" Amy replied. "I've called my sister the wrong name since we were eight. Now come on, start climbing before the other teams find this guy."

Amy climbed out of the boat and towards the docks where she began climbing up the ladder. Sky soon followed Amy up the ladder.

"So do you think we're the first people here?" Sky asked.

"Pfft, of course we are. We took the boat. How could we not be?" Amy remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I like this alliance and all." Amy admitted. "But Sky... She's a bit too nice sometimes."

* * *

Meanwhile, back up in the air, the Batcopter still flew in the sky but was now closer to the marina.

"Are we going to crash yet?" Dave asked.

"Ugh, no. We've been over this. We're fine." Scott told him.

"I don't feel fine." Dave said.

"Jesus Christ, just shut up while I land this thing." Scott requested.

"Do you _know_ how to land this?" Dave asked.

"No, no I don't." Scott admitted. "But if you shut up, I'll be able to concentrate on landing this thing the right way."

"Okay, sure. Shutting up." Dave said.

Dave clamped his eyes shut as Scott began to lower the helicopter.

"Grow up." Scott quietly muttered as he glanced towards Dave.

Scott landed the chopper down on the roof of a warehouse in the loading docks.

"Are we on the ground, yet?" Dave asked, eyes still shut.

"Yes, we're fine. Stop being such a wimp." Scott told him.

Dave opened his eyes and looked around.

"Oh thank god." Dave remarked. "I am _not_ cut out for this superhero stuff."

"C'mon, let's go find this bane guy." Scott said.

Scott exited the helicopter and, after some hesitation, Dave followed him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"It's not that I don't appreciate the support, but sometimes I really wish I partnered up with someone other than Dave." Scott stated.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sierra was wandering around the docks by herself.

"Hmm... I feel like I'm getting close." Sierra told herself. "I have no proof, but I can _feel_ it."

Sierra turned a corner and what she saw caused her to stop in her tracks. A storage crate directly across from her was caved in and a huge muscular man was rooting through the smaller crates within the storage box.

"Wow! I found Bane!" Sierra cheered. "I'm gonna win!"

Sierra's sudden shouting caused Bane to turn around and see her.

"Oh dear, I should _not_ have done that." Sierra realized.

Bane slowly began to lumber towards Sierra.

"Ah, Nightwing, so good of you to join me." Bane remarked. "I was beginning to think nobody would show up."

"Ha! Nope, I'm gonna defeat you." Sierra stated.

"Where's the rest of your friends? Batman taking a sick day?" Bane mockingly asked.

"He won't be joining us tonight." Sierra replied.

"Sha-sweet! We found the muscle dude!" Lightning cheered from off camera.

"Um... Or maybe not." Sierra said.

Just then, Shawn and Lightning ran into view of Bane and Sierra.

"We're here to sha-stop you!" Lightning declared.

"Hmm, three on one. I still think the odds are in _my_ favour." Bane gloated.

"Are you gonna talk or are you gonna fight?" Shawn asked.

"Oh, _definitely_ fight." Bane told him.

Bane pressed a button on his palm which caused yellow fluid to pump through the tubes that connect all over his body. He suddenly became much more muscular somehow.

"Maybe saying that was a mistake..." Shawn trailed off in terror.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I've now learned not to taunt people with fists bigger than my head." Shawn remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, back over with Amy and Sky, the two girls were walking through the docks with seemingly no idea of what to do.

"Do we know where we going?" Sky asked.

"Oh my god, why are you in pester mode today?" Amy angrily replied.

"Um, excuse me?" Sky said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just feel like you're criticizing me more than usual today." Amy stated. "And I don't like it."

"Amy, I think we have more important stuff to focus on right now." Sky told her partner.

"Like what?" Amy asked.

"Um, you know, the _actual challenge_." Sky pointed out.

"Oh, right, that." Amy said. "Well, I'm starting to think finding this Bane guy won't be easy. I mean, it's not like he's gonna fall out of the sky or anything."

Suddenly, from around the corner, Lightning went flying through the air until he slammed into a storage crate.

"Sha-damn, I wasn't expectin' that..." Lightning muttered.

"Uh, well, he didn't fall out of the sky." Amy stated.

"Oh my god, what the hell happened to you?" Sky asked.

"Big muscle guy threw me..." Lightning mumbled.

"Yes! We're close!" Sky cheered. "C'mon Amy, this way!"

Sky ran around the corner towards where Lightning was thrown from.

"Okay, jeez, I'm coming. Don't get so overreaciting. Honestly, you sound like a puppy dog or a small child." Amy remarked.

Amy ran after Sky.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I have a theory. If Amy ever says anything nice, she'll die." Sky remarked. "I'm only joking, but it's one of the more logical explanations for why she's like this."

* * *

Meanwhile, back on another part of the docks, Scott and Dave were walking around with the intent of finding the others.

"So, have you seen Bane yet?" Scott asked.

"If I did I would've told you." Dave stated "By the way, I have no idea what this Bane guy looks like."

"I'm not much of a comics guy, but I'm pretty sure he's a big muscly guy in a mask." Scott replied. "Should be pretty easy to see."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out then." Dave remarked.

"Yeah, you'd better." Scott said. "Trust me, the guy should be impossible to miss."

The two of them continued in silence for several moments but stopped when they heard a metallic thump.

"That was probably related to Bane, right?" Dave asked.

"Definitely." Scott agreed. "C'mon, this way!"

The duo dashed around the corner and saw Bane standing tall in the middle of a concrete clearing with the other contestants surrounding him. The ground beneath Bane seemed to have dented just by him standing there. Bane's attention turned to the newcomers.

"Ah, commissioner, Boy Wonder, wasn't expecting to see you here." Bane remarked. "So glad you could join the party. And now that it seems everyone is here, I ask you: Who wants to go first?"

There was a significantly long pause between anyone with none of the contestants unsure of how to reply.

"Um, I'll go first." Shawn finally spoke up.

"Ah, excellent." Bane said.

Bane charged towards Shawn and the others almost instinctively stepped away while the conspiracy theorist froze like a deer in headlights.

"Oh crap..." Shawn trailed off as he braced for impact.

Bane headbutted Shawn in the chest, launching him back several feet until he hit a storage container.

"I'll get up in a second..." Shawn mumbled.

"Who's next?" Bane laughed tauntingly. "This is almost too easy."

Suddenly, Bane was hit in the back of the head with a bat shaped boomerang.

"Sha-Batarang, baby!" Lightning cheered.

"Oh, you want more do you?" Bane remarked. "Well, ask and you shall recieve."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I don't read many comic books. But I really expected the big hulking guy to be more brutish." Sky admitted.

* * *

Bane charged at Lightning with his arms outstretched.

"Ha! I ain't scared of you!" Lightning declared.

Lightning began to charge at Bane.

"Either he's very brave, or very stupid." Scott remarked as he watched this.

Bane and Lightning met at the same point in the middle of the area but Bane ended up being so large that Lightning ended up running through the gap between his legs.

"Sha-what?" Lightning remarked in confusion, stopping in his tracks.

Bane continued to run until he slammed into another loading crate.

"Hmm, I think I'll give it a go." Amy said. "Let's see... What weapons does Catwoman have?"

Amy felt around at her costume until her hand grabbed a whip attached to her back.

"All right, I can work with this." Amy remarked as she took the whip off her belt. "Let's go, big guy!"

Bane laughed at Amy and began to run towards her. Amy unrolled her whip and flicked it at Bane. The whip hit bain in the shoulder, narrowly missing one of the tubes that gave Bane the fluid that powered him up. This caused Bane to grab his shoulder in pain.

"Grr! Now you're going to pay!" Bane declared.

"Oh trust me, there's a lot more where that came from." Amy stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I'm not a nerd or anything, but I have to admit, it was kinda cool to be Catwoman." Amy said.

Amy paused for a minute.

"Ugh, I feel like a dork saying that." Amy admitted. "Hey, whoever's editing this. Make sure this confessional doesn't make the final cut."

* * *

Amy extends her whip towards Bane again but this time Bane grabs the whip in mid-air.

"Nice try." Bane remarked.

Bane pulled the whip right out of Amy's hands. The supervillain began to laugh but was abruptly cut short when he was hit in the back of the head he was hit in the back of the head with a bird-shaped boomerang. He quickly turned around and sees Dave standing behind him as the others back away from him.

"Oh come on, guys! We're not going to get anywhere if we keep this up!" Dave pointed out. "We need to team up if we wanna beat this guy!"

"Yeah, but only one of us can win." Shawn argued.

"That's beside the point!" Dave shouted. "This challenge won't end if we-"

Dave was cut off when he was headbutted into by Bane. This caused Dave to be launched into the air and fall straight to the ground.

"I hate to agree with Dave, but maybe we should listen to him." Sky admitted.

"Thank you..." Dave weakly muttered from the ground.

"C'mon everyone, let's all try to get Bane at once!" Sky announced.

"Hmm... I dunno." Scott replied. "Seems risky."

"Well, sha-Lightning's up for it!" Lightning stated. "Let's go!"

Lightning began to run towards Bane and Sky shortly followed him.

"Might as well give it a shot." Shawn decided before beginning to run towards Bane as well.

"Ooh! I wanna be part of this too!" Sierra cheered as she ran at Bane too.

"Oh, why not." Scott decided as he followed the lead of the others.

"Haha! It's going to be fun to kill you all." Bane told them.

He pressed the button on his palm again, pumping more fluid through his tubes and causing him to grow larger. Sky reached Bane first and punched him in the leg which caused very little reaction.

"Ha!" Bane laughed. "Is that all you-"

Bane was cut off when Lightning kicked him in the underside of his knee. This caught Bane off balance for a moment but he managed to stay on his feet.

"Stop it!" Bane yelled. "It's very annoying!"

Shawn stopped short of reaching Bane and started feeling around at his clothes.

"Hmm... I wonder what kind of weapons a butler has?" Shawn remarked.

Shawn felt something solid underneath his jacket and then pulled a metal dinner plate out from under it.

"Okay, this might work." Shawn remarked.

Shawn ran at Bane and hit him in the leg with the dinner plate which caused absolutely no reaction.

"Guys! Isn't this obvious!" Amy shouted. "We need to cut those pipes on his arms!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Ugh, I feel like a dork for figuring that out too." Amy admitted. "I just want the record to state, I haven't touched a comic book in my entire life."

* * *

Dave gets up from the ground and looks over at the other competitors fighting Bane.

"Okay, let's give this a shot." Dave told himself. "Let's see... Do I have any tools?"

Dave felt around at his belt until he grabbed a small metal rod.

"Huh, well, this isn't much." Dave remarked.

Dave shakes the rod around for a moment and suddenly it extends into a metal staff.

"Okay, never mind. I can use this." Dave said.

Dave dashed towards the ongoing fight with his staff raised.

"Hey Bane! Um, er, I'm gonna get you!" Dave exclaimed.

"I was really expecting better one-liners from you, Boy Wonder." Bane remarked.

Dave whacked Bane's leg with the staff when he was close enough but once again elicited no reaction.

"Oh my god! I literally just said this! _Take out his tubes_!" Amy angrily repeated herself. "Ugh, _I'm_ gonna do it."

Amy looked at her costume for any weapons and saw a small button on her belt. She pressed it and claws extended from the tips of the hands on her suit.

"Hmm, I can use this." Amy said.

Amy jumped up at Bane and dug her claws into his back.

"Ha! I barely feel that!" Bane gloated. "Try harder, furball!"

"Well, maybe you'll feel it when I slash those tubes of yours." Amy said.

Amy raised her clawed hand in preparation for an attack but was cut short when a sudden pain surged through the back of her left leg. Amy lost her grip and fell to the ground.

"Dammit! Now my leg's all numb!" Amy exclaimed as she clutched her leg. "Who the hell shot my leg!"

"Sorry, but I want that win." Scott stated as he lowered a gun he held in his right hand.

"OMG! You had that gun the whole time!" Sierra exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, I didn't know I had it until now either." Scott remarked. "Probably should've figured I had one though considering I was a cop. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a challenge to win."

Bane turned around and raised his fist at Scott just as the redhead began firing off his weapon at the villain. None of the bullets hit Bane directly but several of them punctured his tubes. This sudden development caused Bane to desperately try and cover up his leaking tubes with his hands instead of fighting.

"No! You idiot!" Bane yelled at Scott.

Bane stumbled towards Scott in preparation to attack. But as he did this, he seemed to grow less muscular. Suddenly, Bane collapsed over forwards and slammed into the ground.

"Um... So is he dead or something?" Shawn asked.

"Looks like it." Sierra said.

"So does this mean Scott wins?" Lightning asked.

"It'd better mean that." Scott said.

All the contestants began glowing a white light.

"Huh, looks like a yes." Scott remarked.

"Yeah, good for you." Amy sarcastically said. "Thanks for _shooting my leg_ by the way."

"Oh, shut up. It doesn't even hurt. This is _virtual_ reality." Scott pointed out.

There was a flash of white light and all the contestants vanished.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Y'know, I really think I've got a chance at winning this time." Scott admitted. "Just as long as I don't screw up in the final four for a third time."

* * *

Back in the real world, the contestants had just woken from the machine.

"Ah, glad you guys are back." Chris remarked. "Well, not really. Me and Chef were having a nice conversation before you got here."

"Wow, I feel so cared for." Sky sarcastically commented.

"So, uh, I won right?" Scott asked.

"You sure did." Chris told him. "Scott, you don't have to worry about being kicked off tonight."

"Ha, in your face!" Scott bragged. "Uh, sorry Dave."

"I don't mind. Y'know, mostly." Dave said.

"Anyway, Scott may be safe for now but the rest of you, you have to worry about getting booted tonight." Chris continued. "But before that, as always, there's some delicious food prepared by our very own Chef Hatchet. You know the drill, go down to the mess hall or whatever."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I'm really worried about getting eliminated tonight." Sierra admitted. "Seriously, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person left without an ally."

* * *

A little while later, all the contestants had gathered in the mess hall eating some soup together. Once again, the three alliances had split off to three separate tables and Sierra was left wandering around by herself in search of someone to sit with. The camera focused on Amy and Sky's table.

"Okay Sky, I need to brainstorm with you right now." Amy said. "Who should we vote for?"

"Uh... I dunno." Sky admitted. "Who do you think is the most powerful person in the game right now?"

"Hmm... Good question." Amy replied. "I think it's probably Shawn."

"Scott's who I was thinking." Sky admitted.

"Okay, those are some good candidates." Amy said. "But I feel like Shawn's the better choice out of the two of them."

Before the conversation could continue, Sierra approached the table and sat down next to Amy.

"Hey again ladies, mind if I sit here?" Sierra asked.

"Same answer as before, loser. Go sit somewhere else." Amy stated.

"Okay, you're _really_ being rude here." Sierra told her.

"There are literally so many other chairs _without_ other people at them." Amy said.

"But I like the company." Sierra replied.

"Look, just leave, okay?" Amy told her.

"Fine, I'll sit with someone who _appreciates_ me." Sierra remarked.

Sierra stood up and walked away from the two of them.

"Hmmph, maybe we should think about voting for _her_." Amy said.

"Are you serious?" Sky asked.

Amy paused in thought.

"Maybe." Amy admitted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Amy might've actually had a point about voting for Sierra." Sky admitted. "I mean, she clearly knows a lot about the game. She even made fourth place the first time she ever played."

* * *

The scene switched over to Shawn and Lightning at their table.

"Man, I can't believe I didn't win." Lightning complained. "I mean, I was Batman. How could I _not_ win?"

"Y'know I'd like to point out I was at a disadvantage in that challenge." Shawn remarked. "I mean, how was a butler supposed to compete with a bunch of superheroes?"

"Maybe ya just weren't usin' your powers right?" Lightning suggested.

"All I had was a metal dinner plate." Shawn pointed out.

"I dunno man. I hear those things can do some serious damage." Lightning said.

"From who?" Shawn asked.

"I ain't sure." Lightning asked.

"Let's just talk about this later." Shawn said. "Maybe for now we should focus on who to eliminate. Do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm... I'm coming up blank right now." Lightning admitted. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking either Amy or Scott." Shawn explained.

"Why those two?" Lightning asked.

"They seem like the biggest threats right now." Shawn stated. "Especially Amy."

"I don't see it." Lightning admitted.

"Seriously?" Shawn asked.

"I see Scott, but I don't see how the cheerleader chick is a bigger threat." Lightning explained.

"She just seems slightly more scheming." Shawn explained. "It's an instinctual thing."

"Okay, I'll take yer word for it." Lightning remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I feel like my alliance with Shawn might take me all the way to the end." Lightning admitted. "'Course, I don't understand what that guy's sayin' a lot of the time."

* * *

The scene then changed to Scott and Dave talking at their table.

"Ah, I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now." Scott remarked.

"C'mon, do you have to brag?" Dave asked.

"Sorry, I'm just real impressed in myself. That's all." Scott said.

"Well, I'm still a bit of a target right now, aren't I?" Dave argued.

"Compared to me, Amy, and Shawn, I don't think so." Scott said. "No offence."

"Uh, none taken I guess." Dave replied. "Speaking of targets, we should probably pick ours."

"Well, like I said, Amy and Shawn are probably the best options." Scott told him.

"Sky's also a good option." Dave added.

"Knock it off with Sky. God, how many times do we have to go over this?" Scott asked. "Look, between Shawn and Amy, who would you pick?"

"Hmm... Well, Shawn seems a little smarter." Dave admitted. "So I guess him."

"You got a point there." Scott admitted. "But, Amy annoys me more."

"Hey, if I can't eliminate Sky for personal reasons then you can't vote for Amy because she's annoying." Dave told him. "Even though, yeah, she is pretty annoying."

"Okay, let's just talk this out a bit." Scott told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I know I've said it before, but the longer this alliance with Dave goes on, the more I regret it."

* * *

A little while later, the contestants had arrived at the stage where the elimination ceremony usually took place. Chris was up on stage looking over the contestants.

"Glad you all could make it." Chris remarked. "So any of you have anything to say?"

"Not really." Sky admitted.

"Yeah, I'm good too." Sierra added.

"Aw man, I had all these witty responses prepared. You guys are no fun." Chris complained.

"Can we just vote please?" Shawn requested.

"Ugh, fine." Chris said. "Go ahead and vote. I'll be in my trailer if you need me."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy drew an X over one of Sierra's photos.

"After thinkng about it, I think I might've been right about Sierra." Amy admitted. "I'm not letting her sit back and let all the alliance fight each other while she sits back and wins."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn crossed out a photo of Amy.

"You're one of the most unpleasant people I've ever met." Shawn stated. "Plain and simple."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave scribbled an X over Shawn's photo.

"So, after some discussion with Scott we decided to vote out Shawn." Dave explained. "It was neither of our first choices but I guess it's as good a compromise as you can get."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a photograph of Sierra.

"I'm still a little unsure about this, but Amy sorta did have a point." Sky remarked. "If she thinks it's a good idea, I'll risk it."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning crossed out a picture of Amy.

"After thinkin' about it, I realize I don't really like you." Lightning commented. "So good riddance."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over one of Shawn's pictures.

"As much as I hate to admit it, this crazy conspiracy nut might be one of the last big threats in the game." Scott admitted.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

"I'm not sure who to vote for." Sierra said. "Since everyone else is voting in their little cliques, I feel like I've got some significant power here. Hmm... Who to choose?"

* * *

The scene changed over to Chris getting back up on stage after the votes had been cast.

"Okay, I've looked over the votes and it seems we have a definitive loser." Chris stated. "Aside from Scott who is safe, the following contestants recieved zero votes. Lightning, Sky, and Dave. You're all good."

Chris threw the four of them their awards.

"Okay, I'm going to give out another award now. Amy, Sierra, Shawn, one of you is going to definitively be safe." Chris told them. "And that person is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sierra!"

Chris tossed the second to last Gilded Chris Award to her.

"Yes!" Sierra cheered. "Still in."

"Shawn, Amy, one of you will be leaving tonight." Chris explained. "But the other one gets yet another lovely statue of me. And that lucky person is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Amy!"

Chris threw the final statue of himself over to Amy.

"Ha! Yes!" Amy cheered as she caught it. "Take that, zombie boy!"

"Wait, really?" Shawn asked. "I'm out?"

"Hey, I'm not the one casting the votes here." Chris told him. "I just read them. Now, you know what to do. Please escort yourself to the Lame-O-Sine or I'll have Chef do it for you."

"I'll take myself there." Shawn said.

"Great, less work for Chef." Chris remarked, laughing to himself a little. "Have fun on your little trip."

Shawn got up from the bleachers and walked down to the red carpet whre he reached the limousine. He got inside the limo and noticed the camera inside of it.

"Well, I'm not a fan of being eliminated." Shawn admitted. "But at least now I can video chat with Jasmine or-"

Shawn was cut off by the sound of someone tapping at his window. He looked at the source of the sound and saw Lightning outside the limo. Taking the hint, Shawn rolled down the window.

"Um, hey there." Shawn greeted him.

"Hey man, just wanted to say bye to you." Lightning explained. "Just wanted you to know you're a pretty cool guy. Even if ya believe in zombies."

"It's a rational fear. But thank you." Shawn replied. "You're a pretty nice guy too."

"Sha-sweet." Lightning remarked. "Anyway man, sucks that you had to leave. But Lightning will try to win the game for ya."

"Thanks, that's a nice gesture." Shawn said. "Well, I'd better get going."

"Yeah, you take care man." Lightning told him as he leaned away from the car.

The limousine began to drive away.

The camera switched over to Chris still up on stage.

"And there goes another one. Six remain." Chris said. "Who will be the next to go? It's impossible to tell at this point but you should stick around for Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Scott, Dave, Sky, Amy, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (18th Place)

Justin the Attractive Model (17th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (16th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (15th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (14th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (13th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (12th Place)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (11th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (10th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (9th Place)

Gwen the Loner (8th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (7th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: Shawn

Dave: Shawn

Lightning: Amy

Shawn: Amy

Amy: Sierra

Sky: Sierra

Sierra: Shawn

 **Results:**

Shawn: 3 votes

Amy: 2 votes

Sierra: 2 votes

* * *

 **And that was the chapter. I did make some changes in the challenge than what was originally suggested to me. The location was changed because I was having trouble describing it for some reason and the villain was changed from Riddler and the Penguin to Bane because the user who I'm writing this story for requested it. I didn't really bother to ask them why. Anyway, I hope the user who suggested this challenge doesn't mind the changes. But that's about it for this chapter. Hopefully the next one is up sooner. Thanks for reading.**


	15. Aftermath III

**And now this story's back. This is an Aftermath chapter but it's a lot longer than usual once again. You'll see why as you read further into the chapter. It's too bad it's taking me longer than usual to write these now. But hopefully it's still a good chapter. Anyway, let me respond to your reviews:**

 **Aco** **sta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for the review.

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thanks.

 **ShadowJcreed:** Glad you liked the chapter. And since this an Aftermath, you'll be seeing a little more from Shawn now.

 **GlitchWarrior:** Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1994:** In retrospect, I kinda wish I gave your idea for a location a shot. Also, I'm considering using your National Treasue idea. Not to mention, I really appreciate your detailed Tomorrowland challnge. But I probably won't be using it in this story since anyone else who read your review would already know the details.

 **Well, that about does it for this opening. You may now move on to the rest.**

* * *

After a flash of bright light the word's "Total Drama Aftermath" appeared against a blue backdrop. The usual Aftermath theme played as this happened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for more… Total Drama Aftermath!" The deep voice announcer declared. "Stay tuned to hear more from this most recent batch of eliminated contestants. Plus, more twists and turns. So stick around."

The title screen faded away over to the usual Aftermath set with Geoff, Blaineley, and Bridgette sitting at the couch in the middle of the stage and all the currently eliminated contestants sitting in the peanut gallery.

"Woo! Welcome back to the Aftermath!" Geoff cheered.

"Get ready to see the most recent group of losers." Blaineley continued.

"And we've got some extra action planned for today." Bridgette added. "But we'll get to that when the time has come."

"Yo Blaineley, just wanted to compliment you on remembering your line this time." Geoff jokingly remarked.

"Hey, I care about my job." Blaineley claimed.

"No you don't." Bridgette said.

"Okay, fine, I don't." Blaineley admitted. "But I care about getting paid so I figured I might give an effort."

"So, you're probably wondering who we're gonna interview first." Bridgette remarked to the camera.

"No they're not. We always do this chronologically." Blaineley pointed out.

"We're doing a bit, dude. Be quiet." Geoff whispered to her.

"Oh, sorry." Blaineley whispered back before turning to Bridgette and raising her voice. "Yes, tell us Bridgette, who's going first?"

"Well, you see, we unfortunately don't have time for interviews today." Bridgette explained. "But that's only because we're bringing four contestants back into the competition!"

"Wow Bridge, that sure sounds exciting." Geoff remarked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. Isn't that too many?" Blaineley asked.

"C'mon Blaine, stick to the script." Geoff reminded her.

"Fine, fine. Keeping it to myself." Blaineley said before looking back at the cameras. "Anyway! Let's meet our newest group of eliminated contestants real quick!"

"Thanks for setting that up." Geoff remarked. "All right, let's give it up for Cameron, Topher, Gwen, and Shawn!"

With that announcement out of the way, the four mentioned contestants walked out on to the stage where they were greeted by applause from the audience.

"Um, hello there." Cameron meekly replied. "Gosh, there sure are a lot of people."

"I know, isn't it great!" Topher cheered.

The group of them walked over to the couches.

"So, uh, where do we sit?" Gwen asked.

"Just stand for now." Blaineley told them. "You'll be going to the peanut gallery soon enough anyways."

"We're gonna ask all of you some questions briefly but then we'll move on to the main event of tonight." Bridgette explained.

"Heh, that should be fun." Geoff remarked.

"But first, the questions." Blaineley said. "I'm gonna ask you something and you all have to answer. Just don't take up too much time."

"Y'know I was kinda hoping for a full interview." Topher remarked.

"Yeah, me too." Shawn agreed.

"You two, shut up." Blaineley told them. "So, I was going to ask, how do you all feel about being eliminated?"

"Um… I didn't like it." Cameron replied.

"Yeah, pretty much what he said." Gwen agreed.

"Same." Topher agreed.

"Uh huh, I agree with all of them." Shawn said.

"Great, now that we're done with that please go over to the peanut gallery." Blaineley advised them.

"Wait, you're only asking one question?" Gwen asked.

"I thought you said you were asking multiple questions." Shawn added.

"Did I? Well, if I did, I was lying." Blaineley replied.

"Yeah, the producers want us to focus on the whole, bringing four of you back thing." Geoff explained. "So, like, we don't have time for an interview."

"So should we just go sit with the others?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, do that." Blaineley told him. "It's a very simple concept."

"Okay, okay, we're going." Topher replied. "Don't be so pushy about it."

The four recently eliminated contestants began to walk away from the couch and towards the Peanut Gallery. The competitors sat down at several of the remaining seats in the peanut gallery.

"Okay, so, you folks watching probably wanna know more about how we're bringing people back." Blaineley remarked.

"Uh, us folks _in the show_ probably wanna know too." Justin pointed out from the peanut gallery.

"Hmm, prob'ly would make sense to address them actually." Geoff realized.

"Yeah, let's do that." Bridgette agreed.

Bridgtte, Geoff, and Blaineley looked over at the Peanut Gallery.

"So, _you guys_ probably wanna know about what our plan to bring you back is." Blaineley addressed them.

"Well, the first thing you need to know is that all of you get a chance at coming back." Bridgette explained.

"Really? All of us?" Cody asked.

"Even the crazy guy?" Anne Maria added, pointing to Max.

"How _dare_ you!" Max shouted in response.

"Yes, all of you." Geoff told them.

"Awesome!" Tyler cheered.

"Uh, but _how_ are we supposed to choose?" Zoey asked.

"We were just getting to that part." Blaineley replied. "You see, you'll be going through a challenge similar to the ones in the show."

"But not like the ones from this season. Don't have any virtual reality machines in the studio." Geoff said.

"So what're we gonna do?" DJ asked.

"Great question." Bridgette replied. "It's the classic, always popular, obstacle course!"

"Sweet!" Tyler cheered.

"Dude, you suck at sports." Jo reminded him.

"Fine, fair…" Tyler admitted. "But I'm really good at trying."

"So what exactly is the obstacle course like?" Gwen asked.

"Well, the best way to tell you is to show you." Blaienley explained. "Special effects guys, do your thing!"

There was a long expectant pause as Blaineley looked around the set. Blaineley leaned in towards Geoff and Blaineley.

"Hey, uh, wasn't there supposed to be a thing where the stage transformed into an obstacle course?" Blaineley whispered to them.

"Yeah, production didn't have the budget." Geoff explained. "Had to cancel it."

"Why did nobody tell me?" Blaineley asked.

"There was an email. Did you miss it?" Bridgette replied.

"Yeah, guess so." Blaineley admitted. "Wiat, so, if we're not doing the whole stage transformation what are we doing?"

"We set up an obstacle course in the parking lot." Geoff explained.

"Um, so, anyway, all of eliminated contestants, please follow us to the parking lot." Bridgette told them.

"So just get up and walk?" Tyler asked.

"Yes. If you think you can do that without falling over, _Tyler_." Blaineley told him.

"Okay, that was uncalled for." Tyler remarked.

"Look, just follow us, all right." Blaineley told the contestants.

The camera cut to a little while later with Blaineley, Geoff, and Bridgette leading all the eliminated competitors through one of the hallways.

"So, uh, what does the obstacle course look like?" Cameron asked.

"Do you not understand how surprises work?" Blaineley replied.

"Come on Blaineley, I thought you said you'd try to be nicer." Bridgette said.

"Right, right, _nicer_." Blaineley repeated to herself. "I'll try to remember that."

"Okay dudes, just outside and you'll see the obstacle course!" Geoff announced as the group approached a pair of metal double doors at the end of the hallway.

Geoff pushed open the door and pretty soon all the contestants and hosts were outside in the parking lot.

"Ta-da!" Goeff announced.

Constructed in the middle of the parking lot was an enormous obstacle course quite similar in appearance to the ones featured in previous seasons.

"Wow, that thing is intimidating." Cody remarked as he looked at the obstacle course.

"I know, it's exciting, isn't it?" Topher replied.

"Let's walk you guys through piece by piece." Bridgette told them. "First there's the Sticky Field."

The camera focused on where the first obstacle was which appeared to be some kind of green substance spread across the ground.

"Basically, it's just some weird gunk the team the designs challenge created." Geoff explained. "Don't know what's in it, but you all gotta run through it. Probably won't be easy."

"Then we've got what's apparently called the Wall of Pain." Blaineley continued.

The camera panned to a large rock climbing wall.

"It may look like a completely regular rock climbing wall, and you'd be right." Bridgette said. "But we've got interns throwing and dumping stuff on you while you all climb."

"Next up, you gotta Walk the Plank." Geoff stated.

The camera panned to three narrow wooden planks bridging the rock climbing wall and another wooden structure.

"The goal here is to not fall." Blaineley explained. "Pretty simple."

"Next up there's the Teetering Towers." Bridgette continued.

The camera moved to show that a series of thin disc shaped platforms on long sticks bridged the gap between the wooden platform and the second wooden platform.

"All you gotta do is jump from platform to platform without falling." Geoff explained.

"Our penultimate obstacle is called the Leap of Faith." Blaineley stated.

The camera panned downwards to show that below the wooden platform was a long pool of what appeared to be mud.

"Here what you have to do is try to jump as far as possible and land in the mud." Bridgette explained. "The further you end up going, the less mud you'll have to trek through to get out."

"And our final obstacle is named Flag Mountain." Geoff explained.

The camera moved over to a series of wooden platforms ascending in height. At the heighest platform was a collection of flags.

"Here you'll have to climb up and grab the flag with your face on it." Blaineley said. "Then you need to climb back down and race over to hand off your flag to one of us hosts."

"First four people to do so, get to come back on the show." Bridgette stated.

"Wow, that is one serious obstacle course." DJ remarked.

"Pfft, this should be nothing for me." Jo predicted.

"So when do we start?" Cameron asked.

"Right now!" Blaineley announced. "Get into position because this race is about to get started!"

"This is gonna be awesome." Shawn remarked.

The group of eliminated contestants walked over to the very start of the obstacle course and the thre hosts followed.

"Okay, we're gonna count to three and then just let you guys go at it." Geoff explained. "Here we go."

"One…" Blaineley began the countdown.

"Two…" Bridgette continued.

"Three!" Geoff finished it off. "Go, dudes!"

The group of former competitors ran towards the first obstacle. The first to reach the stretch of slime was Jo who was very abruptly slowed down by the substance.

"Wow, they weren't joking when they said this wouldn't be easy." Jo remarked as she struggled to move her legs through the stuff.

Tyler was the second to step into the first obstacle but pretty soon lost his balance and faceplanted into the green stuff.

"Ugh… Seriously?" Tyler remarked as he struggled to stand back up.

He was stopped when Zoey walked over him.

"Oh! Sorry Tyler!" Zoey quickly apologized.

"It's cool…" Tyler mumbled. "I'm sorta used to it."

Back at the very start of the first obstacle, Cameron, DJ, and Justin were all hesitant to even step in.

"So… Who wants to step in?" Justin asked. "Me personally, I don't want to potentially ruin my foot modelling career."

"Hey, you're not the one wearing sandals." DJ remarked.

"I think I'm gonna go for it." Cameron decided.

"You sure, because that stuff looks gross." Justin pointed out.

"You're not helping." Cameron said. "Just don't say anything else and let me do it."

Cameron backed up and began to run across the first obstacle.

"Okay, I'm doing it." Cameron told himself. "This isn't so bad."

"Guess we should do it, huh?" DJ remarked to Justin.

"I dunno, my feet are pretty valuable." Justin admitted.

The camera panned forward to the middle of the group of contestants slowly attempting to run where Anne Maria and Topher were right beside each other.

"So, Annie, how're things going with you?" Topher asked.

"Ain't exactly the time for small talk." Anne Maria pointed out.

"Yeah, but I figured if we're going this slow we may as well have a little bit of talk." Topher explained.

"Well, you can do that. But I ain't havin' a part in it." Anne Maria stated.

Anne Maria attempted to run faster and managed to inch ahead of Topher by a little bit.

"Fine, be that way. I'll just talk to someone else." Anne Maria said.

The camera cut over to the front of the group of contestants where Shawn and Jo were racing next to each other to be in first.

"You really think you can beat me? I'm a perfect athlete and you're some scrawny survivalist." Jo taunted him.

"We'll see about that." Shawn remarked.

Shawn pushed himself and was able to get ahead of Jo by just a little.

"Ugh, I'm going to get you for that!" Jo declared as she tried to speed up.

Jo managed to reach Shawn and swiped at him with her hand. Jo grabbed a handful of Shawn's vest and accidentally ended up pulling the both of them to the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Shawn asked.

"Wasn't what I meant to do." Jo said.

Gwen ran past the both of them.

"Sorry guys, I'm taking this lead." Gwen stated.

The camera focused on Gwen as she got closer and closer to the second obstacle.

"I think I might actually have a chance at this." Gwen told herself. "Yeah, I can do this."

Gwen reached the second obstacle and looked up at the climbing wall.

"Okay, here goes nothing." Gwen said.

Gwen grabbed one of the handholds on the climbing wall and began to climb up it.

"You know, this isn't so bad." Gwen admitted to nobody in particular.

"Woo! I'm number two!" A male voice cheered from below her.

Gwen looked down and saw Cody climbing up towards her.

"Oh hey, Gwen!" Cody called up to her. "Can you believe the two of us are in the lead?"

"Not too unbelievable." Gwen replied.

"I'm just trying to make conversation, all right." Cody said.

"Probably not the best time for that." Gwen pointed out.

The camera panned down to the bottom of the climbing wall where Zoey, Anne Maria, and Max had just arrived.

"Wow, I can't believe I made it here before Jo." Zoey remarked.

"Yeah, now c'mon Red, let's start climbin' this thing before she gets over here." Anne Maria remarked.

"Ha! You fools!" Max laughed. "It shall be I that wins!"

"Well, let's see if you can live up to yer talk." Anne Maria remarked as she began climbing.

"No fair! You can't start climbing before me!" Max yelled.

Max started to climb up the wall.

The camera flashed forward to a bit later where all of the contestants had made it to the climbing wall. In the middle of the wall, Justin and Shawn were next to each other.

"So, Shawn, how are things now that you're back home?" Justin asked conversationally.

"Is this really the best time for talking?" Shawn pointed out.

"Hey, when's the next time we'll get a chance?" Justin argued.

"Probably lots of other times." Shawn said. "It's gonna be a while 'til we're done here."

"Okay, fair enough." Justin replied. "I'll just find someone else to talk to."

"It kinda seems like you're not trying to win here." Shawn pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm not." Justin admitted. "I'd much prefer to stay at this studio then go back on the show again."

"That's fair." Shawn admitted. "But personally, that million dollars is too good for me to pass up."

Suddenly, a burlap sack filled with what was presumably sand fell from above and hit Shawn in the face. He was knocked off the wall and fell back onto the first obstacle. Justin looked up and saw the intern that had dropped the sack.

"Oh yeah, I forgot they said they'd be dropping stuff." Justin remarked.

The camera panned downwards to the bottom of the climbing wall where Tyler and DJ were next to each other.

"So, think we got a shot at winning?" DJ wondered.

"Yeah, it's still pretty early." Tyler replied. "Anything's possible."

"I dunno, we've both been doing pretty badly so far." DJ said.

"Hey, I feel like I had a pretty strong start." Tyler argued. "Plus, if I power through at the very end, I think I've got a good seventy five percent chance of making it in the top four."

"Only seventy five?" DJ asked.

"I like to keep things realistic." Tyler explained.

Suddenly, another sack of sand dropped from above towards the two of them. It hit Tyler square in the face and caused him to lose his grip. DJ quickly grabs Tyler's hand and keeps him from hitting the ground.

"I got you, man." DJ told him.

"Thanks." Tyler replied. "Lemme just grab back on to the wall and I'll-"

Another bag of sand was dropped on them causing both DJ and Tyler to fall of the wall completely.

The camera panned up towards the top of the climbing wall where Topher was all by himself.

"Wow, I don't know how I made it to the lead but I'm not stopping now." Topher remarked.

Topher continued climbing up the wall but soon Cameron began climbing beside him.

"Oh hey there." Topher greeted. "How'd you make it up here?"

"I have no idea." Cameron admitted. "But it feels really good to be in the lead."

"Well, you aren't going to be in the lead for long." Topher said. "That position belongs to me and me alone."

"If you say so." Cameron remarked. "But you might not wanna get so distracted."

"Why's that?" Topher asked.

Topher's own question was suddenly answered when a bag of sand fell on his head and caused him to fall off the wall.

"Oh come on!" Topher shouted as he fell.

"Sorry, hope you're okay." Cameron said.

Cameron continued to climb and reached the very top of the climbing wall.

"Wow, I did it!" Cameron cheered. "I think I might actually win. What was the next obstacle again?"

Just then, Jo managed to pull herself up from the climbing wall and her eyes fell on Camern.

"What the- How did _you_ make it up here before _me_?" Jo asked.

"That's a great question." Cameron replied. "I really wish I knew the answer."

"So, you gonna try this next obstacle or are you too scared?" Jo asked.

"N-no, I can do this." Cameron nervously said.

Cameron ran at one of the narrow planks and managed to take about three steps before losing his footing and falling off.

"Ah!" Cameron screamed as he fell.

A definite thud was heard by Jo.

"Good effort, Stringbean. But here's what you shuold've done." Jo remarked.

Jo backed up and made a run for the same plank Cameron had been on. She made it to about the halfway point on the plank before she lost her balance and fell off. She slammed into the ground a few feet away from where Cameron had landed.

"Ugh... Dammit..." Jo muttered. "Now what?"

"I think there's a ladder over there..." Cameron mumbled, weakly pointing at the side of the climbing wall.

"Great..." Jo weakly replied.

The once again the footage flashed forward to later where all the contestants had made it onto the third obstacle. The camera focused on the front end of the planks where Gwen and Anne Maria were walking cautiously next to each other on different planks.

"So, Gwen, how are you?" Anne Maria asked.

"Mostly trying not to fall off this thing." Gwen replied.

"Yeah, same here." Anne Maria admitted. "I'm tryin' not to focus on it though. 'Cause if I do focus on it, I'll prob'ly fall."

"Huh, maybe I should try that." Gwen remarked. "I'm not going to think about the lack of ground below me."

"It's workin' for me so why can't it work for you." Anne Maria said.

Gwen took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. She took a few steps forward.

"Hey this is going pretty well." Gwen remarked.

Gwen sped up her pace which turned out to be a mistake when she began to wobble and eventually lost her balance completely. As she fell she grabbed on to Anne Maria's leg for support but just pulled the other girl off the plank with her.

"Really?!" Anne Maria yelled, sounding annoyed as the two of them fell.

Meanwhile, towards the middle of the group of contestants, Cody slowly walked along the plank with Max standing right behind him.

"Hurry up, oaf!" Max yelled.

"Hey, I don't want to fall." Cody said.

"Well, I want you to!" Max exclaimed. "Don't think I won't push you."

"Pfft, I'd like to see you try." Cody doubted.

"As you wish." Max replied. "Evil attack! Haha!"

Max kicked at Cody with one of his stubby legs but missed him completely.

"No! My plan is foiled again!" Max shouted, still one leg extended in mid air. "I'll get you next- Whoa!"

Max lost his balance and fell over backwards off the plank where he plummeted to the ground.

"Uh, you okay!" Cody called down to him.

"Silence, fool!" Max shouted back.

The camera panned to the back of the planks where Justin, Zoey, and DJ were next to each other on separate planks.

"So how many times have you guys fallen off so far?" Zoey asked. "It's happened to me like, three times so far."

"About twice." DJ replied. "This is a lot harder than it looks."

"This is actually my first run through." Justin admitted. "I've been too nervous about hitting my face on the way down."

"I've mostly just been landing on my back actually." Zoey said.

"Hey, every part of my body's an asset." Justin stated. "I don't want to hurt any of it."

"So, you're basically guaranteeing that you lose." Zoey pointed out.

"I wouldn't say that. Things can turn around." Justin stated.

"I'm not really trying to win either." DJ admitted. "Mostly trying to not get hurt."

"And I guess so far it isn't going very well." Zoey jokingly remarked.

"I actually don't mind the relaxed pace." DJ admitted. "I feel like if I keep it up like this, I won't fall off again."

"Gang way, I'm trying this again!" A voice from off screen declared.

Jo charged at the plank DJ was standing on with great determination. This determination was in fact enough to scare DJ into jumping out of her way and fall to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Zoey called down to him.

"Yeah, guess I'm used to it now." DJ replied from below.

The camera panned all the way back to the front of planks where Shawn and Tyler were next to each other on different planks both going at a modest pace.

"Woo! I'm in the lead!" Tyler cheered. "Take that everyone! I _can_ run without falling over!"

"Careful, it's still pretty dangerous." Shawn told him.

"Yeah, I know." Tyler replied. "But I've totally got this handled. It's in the-"

Tyler stumbled over his own feet and teetered on the edge of the plank for several moments. Despite this, Tyler made a quick recovery and stood up steadily.

"Woo! I'm okay!" Tyler cheered.

"Okay, wow, that was lucky." Shawn remarked.

"Yeah it was!" Tyler continued to cheer.

"I'm honestly kinda distracted by how you're not falling." Shawn admitted.

The two of them made it off the planks and over to the wooden structure.

"Woo made it!" Tyler cheered, still running. "Next obstacle, here I c-"

Tyler failed to stop running and ended up going off the edge of platform.

"Ah!" Tyler shrieked on the way down.

Shawn heard a thud from below.

"Uh, you okay?" Shawn asked.

"Dammit, after I did so well too..." Tyler mumbled.

"I'll just get started while you recover." Shawn said.

Shawn backed up and took a leap forward where he landed on the first of several platforms.

"Phew! Made it." Shawn remarked. "This one doesn't seem too hard."

"Speak for yourself, bro!" Tyler shouted from below.

"Heh, good luck." Shawn wished him.

The camera once more flashed forward to later in the challenge when all the contestants had managed to get on to the third obstacle in some form. The camera further focused on the back grouping of platforms that contained Cameron and Cody on one platform and Topher on one in front of them.

"So you two hanging in there?" Topher remarked, glancing briefly back at the duo behind him.

"Oh, just fine." Cody replied.

"I'm just trying to decide if I should jump yet." Cameron admitted.

"I say go for it." Topher replied, now turning around completely to face them. "That's my life philosopher... Hmm... That'd make a good t-shirt."

"So we should jump?" Cody asked.

"Oh, totally." Topher said. "It works for me, hasn't it?"

"Aren't we in the very back?" Cody pointed at.

"He has a point." Cameron added.

"Hey, trust me. I'll catch up in no time." Topher stated. "Watch."

Topher backed up and began running. He took a leap forward off his platform and landed on the next one. He then turned back around to face Cody and Cameron.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Topher remarked.

"Okay, he's sold me." Cody said, turning to Cameron. "I say we go for it."

"All right, let's do it." Cameron replied.

The two of them backed up to the edge of the platform and took a running start at roughly the same time. Both jumped across the gap but Cody failed to make it all the way across and instead fell to the ground below him. Cameron fared slightly better, not making it all the way to the platform but instead grabbing on to the very edge.

"Okay, just need to pull myself up." Cameron told himself.

Cameron tried to get up on to the platform but almost immediately slipped and fell off, landing next to Cody.

"Oh, hey there Cam." Cody remarked.

"Heh, um, good effort guy!" Topher called down to them.

The camera panned to the middle grouping of platforms where Jo and Anne Maria were on the same platform.

"Oh come on, how come I keep going at the same pace as people I don't like." Jo remarked to nobody in particular.

"Well, ya seem to hate everyone so that's prob'ly tough for ya." Anne Maria replied.

"Shut up, Spray Tan." Jo told her.

"Sheesh, why do ya gotta bring the tan into it?" Anne Maria asked.

"Because it makes you look like a circus clown." Jo replied.

"Wow, okay, even for you that was a low blow." Anne Maria said.

"Yeah, fine, that was too far." Jo admitted.

"And I'll have you know that my tan makes me look beautiful." Anne Maria added.

Before the interaction could continue further, DJ jumped over to the same platform as them.

"Hey, mind if I pass. You two kinda haven't moved for a while." DJ told them.

"Wait, really?" Anne Maria asked.

"Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have gotten caught up arguing." Jo remarked. "Okay, I'm taking the jump now. You all can meet me at the finish line."

Jo backed up and leaped the gap, landing on the next platform.

"Okay, we should be able to do that." Anne Maria said.

"You sure?" DJ asked.

"Well, I'm about fifty-fifty on it." Anne Maria admitted. "I'm just gonna jump and hope for the best."

Anne Maria took a few steps back and ran forwards. She jumped at the very edge of the platform but was unable to make it to the next one. Instead, she slammed face first into the side of the platformed she was attempting to reach and fell to the ground.

"Uh, y'know what, I'll give it some time." DJ decided.

The camera panned to the front grouping of platforms where Justin was on the very last platform all by himself.

"Wow, I cannot believe I made it all the way here. Nice work." Justin congratulated himself. "Okay, now for the part that I hate. Just gotta jump without hurting myself."

Justin backed up a little bit and looked ahead.

"Hmm, now how should I do this?" Justin wondered.

"Incoming!" Someone shouted at Justin from off screen.

Justin looked behind him and saw Max about to land on him. Max slammed right into Justin and both of them tumbled to the floor of the platform.

"Ugh, seriously..." Justin muttered.

"I told you to get out of my way you oaf!" Max yelled at him.

The two of them stood up from the ground and got a hold of what happened.

"Wow, are _you_ really in the lead right now?" Justin asked Max after getting a good look at him.

"Hmmph, I could ask the same of you." Max replied.

"Hey, handsome people are always successful." Justin claimed. "You look like a weirdly shaped potato."

"How dare you!" Max exclaimed. "Just for that, I shall make it to the next obstacle before you."

Max pushed Justin over and made a run to the end of the platform.

"Haha! Farewell!" Max said.

Max leaped across the gap and didn't quite make it to the wooden structure across from him. However, Max didn't fall to the ground either. Instead, Max was barely able to hang on.

"No! Must... Hang... On..." Max muttered.

As if to taunt him, the next thing Max saw was Justin landing on the wooden structing he was clinging to.

"Curses! Damn you!" Max shouted.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm so great." Justin remarked.

Max let out a loud cry of frustration and with as much strength as he could muster, pulled himself up onto the structure.

"Ha! Who's great now?" Max rhetorically asked. "Hmm, what was the next obstacle?"

Max looked ahead and saw the long pit of mud in front of him.

"Oh, I'd hate to ruin this outfit." Max remarked.

"Hey, I've got it way worse." Justin replied. "Look at this place. It's way more valuable than anything you're wearing."

"Hmm, you don't say..." Max suddenly trailed off.

Max pushes Justin from behind causing him to plummet straight down into the mud below. After flailing around for a few moments, Justing recovered and looked up Max.

"Okay! That was completely uncalled for!" Justin declared.

"Haha!" Max laughed. "Look out below!"

"Wait, what?" Justin asked as he got a better handle of the situation.

Max jumped down from the structure and began to fall down towards Justin.

"Uh oh..." Justin trailed off.

Justin jumped out of the way as Max landed in the mud, splattering Justin the process.

"Seriously? Why did you do that?" Justin asked, sounding annoyed.

"Just to spite you." Max stated.

"You realize this means that _you_ have to walk all the way out of here now." Justin pointed out.

"Oh..." Max trailed off in realization. "Curses!"

The camera flashed forward to later, where all the contestants had arrived at the mud pit obstacle. The camera focused on the top of the wooden structure where Gwen and Cameron had yet to jump.

"Phew, made it." Gwen remarked as she looked down at the mud below her. "So, Cam, you think you're gonna jump?"

"I've been thinking about it for almost two minutes now." Cameron admitted. "I really need to stop pausing so much."

"Wanna jump at the same time?" Gwen suggested.

"Sure, they might make it a little less terrifying." Cameron said.

"Okay, let's do this." Gwen told him.

Cameron nodded in response. The two of them backed up towards the back end of the platform. They ran to the end and once they were close enough, leaped forwards. Gwen kept still in the air as best she could but Cameron on the other hand just flailed around a whole bunch. Gwen landed at about the middle area of the mud pit and Cameron landed a few feet behind her.

"Ugh... This is _not_ fun..." Gwen grumbled.

Gwen stood herself up and tried to brush some mud off of her. She looked around for a moment and saw Cameron getting up from the ground.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Gwen asked as she went over to Camer.

"Yeah, I guess so." Cameron replied, trying to get some of the mud off his clothing. "Just give me a second... I think I need a few moments to breathe before I keep going."

The camera panned to the very back of the mud pit where Tyler and Jo were trudging through the mud together.

"Man, I can't believe I fell off the edge again." Tyler remarked to nobody in particular. "I was super psyched to make it to the end of the last obstacle, but then I forgot to jump and then just fell straight into the mud."

"Yeah, I didn't ask." Jo told him.

"Okay, sorry." Tyler apologized. "I just want something to do while we're walking through this."

"Well, I'd prefer it if I focused on getting out of here fast." Jo said.

"Okay, fair enough." Tyler replied. "I'll try to be quiet."

The two of them trekked through the mud in dead silence.

"Wow, being quiet's really boring." Tyler remarked.

"Oh my god, shut up." Jo told him. "I literally just told you."

"Aw, c'mon, I really wanna talk to someone." Tyler pleaded.

"Well, find someone else." Jo said.

Jo tried to speed up her walking and managed to get a few feet ahead of Tyler.

"Hey! Wait up!" Tyler called out.

Tyler sped up but almost immediately fell over, landing face first in the mud. Zoey approached Tyler and looked down at him.

"Uh, you okay?" Zoey asked.

"No..." Tyler muttered, slightly muffled by the mud.

Zoey grabbed Tyler by the shoulders and helped him up from the mud.

"There you go." Zoey said.

"Thanks." Tyler replied. "Feel like walking in talking?"

"Yeah, sure." Zoey answered him.

The camera panned forward to the very front of the mud pit where Cody, DJ, and Shawn were next to each other.

"Wow, this is actually going pretty well for me." Cody remarked. "You guys think I have a chance if I get back on the show?"

"I feel like the contestants won't like any of us coming back actually." Shawn predicted. "Especially me since I literally _just_ left."

"Aw, I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad." DJ said.

"Well, either way, I feel like all of us have a good shot at winning." Cody remarked.

"I'd still be okay if I didn't come back actually." DJ replied.

"Well, you might wanna slow down then." Shawn suggested. "'Cause right now you're in the lead."

"Huh, maybe I should slow down." DJ remarked.

"Your call." Cody told him.

"Uh, hey guys, it kinda looks like we're about to get off this obstacle." Shawn spoke up.

DJ and Cody looked ahead of them and saw that the mud pit had nearly ended.

"Phew, thank goodness for that." Cody remarked.

The three boys stepped out of the mud pit and looked at the next obstacle ahead of them.

"Okay, just one thing left." Shawn remarked to himself. "Here I go."

"Good luck with that. I'm gonna stay back and catch my breath." DJ said.

"Have fun." Cody told him.

Cody and Shawn ran off towards the next obstacle, leaving Shawn behind.

The scene once more flashed forward to later with all the contestants up on some part of the large series of ascending platforms. The camera focused on the bottom few platforms that was occupied by Anne Maria and Topher on one platform with Justin on the one below them.

"Okay, I gotta focus now." Anne Maria told herself. "This is the big leagues we're talkin' about."

"I'll tell you what I told Cody and Cam earlier." Topher said. "Just push yourself, go for it."

Anne Maria paused for a second and looked at Topher for a moment.

"You ever consider writin' self-help books?" Anne Maria asked.

"Hmm... Thanks for the idea." Topher remarked. "Now, what was I about to do?"

Justin climbed up on to the platform Anne Maria and Topher were on.

"Well hey there." Justin greeted them. "What're you two up to?'

"I was just about to keep movin' on, that's what." Anne Maria stated.

Anne Maria reached up and grabbed the platform above her where she began to attempt to pull herself up.

"You need help?" Justin asked.

"Uh, maybe." Anne Maria remarked.

"Well, I wasn't offering." Justin said. "Just checking."

Anne Maria muttered something inaudible to herself.

"I'll catch up with you later." Justin told her.

"Well, I think I'm heading up too." Topher decided as he reached up and grabbed the platform above him.

The camera panned upwards to the very top of the tower of platforms where the top platform contained a flag corresponding to each of the contestants in the race. After lingering on the platform for a few moments, a hand reached up from below and began to pull the body attached to it up on to the platform. That body was Shawn who continued to pull himself all the way up on to the platform.

"Ha! Made it!" Shawn cheered. "Now all that's left is the return journey."

Shawn sotod up fully and looked at the flags.

"Let's see... Which one of these has my face?" Shawn remarked.

He approached the group of flags and looked at all faces on each one until he saw a picture of his own.

"There it is." Shawn said.

Shawn pulled the flag out of the ground.

"Yes! First place!" Shawn cheered. "Just gotta return it now."

Shawn heard the sound of several people grabbing the wood behind him. He looked back and saw both Gwen and Jo pulling themselves up onto the top platform where he was.

"Oh come on, Zombie Boy beat me to it." Jo complained as she pulled herself up all the way. "Now that is just embarrassing."

"Hey, I think I'm a worthy opponent." Shawn spoke up.

"Yeah, he seems pretty tough." Gwen agreed.

"I didn't ask for input from either of you." Jo remarked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a flag to grab."

Jo went towards the group of flags and grabbed one out of the ground. She looked at it and saw Gwen's face on it.

"Aw, dammit. I should've looked at this thing first." Jo realized. "Here, Pasty, catch."

Jo tossed the flag over to Gwen who caught it.

"Uh, thanks. I guess." Gwen replied.

Jo looked through all her flags and grabbed the one that had her face on it.

"Okay, now I can keep moving." Jo said. "See all you losers later."

The scene flashed forward one last time to after most contestants had grabbed their flags and were making their way back down. The camera focused on the flag area again where Tyler, Cody, and DJ were snatching up the last of the flags.

"Aw man, I can't believe I'm so behind." Tyler complied. "Okay Tyler, you can do this."

"Yeah, I think I can catch up too." Cody remarked out loud as he pried his flag out of the ground.

"You two can run, but I'm gonna be taking my sweet time." DJ stated.

"Don't really care about winning, do you?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." DJ admitted.

DJ confidently walked forward away from the other two. However, DJ didn't watch his step and ended up stepping straight off the edge of the platform and slamming into the next one where he bounced off that one and onto the next one.

"How long do you think he's gonna bounce?" Cody wondered.

Tyler shrugged in response.

The camera moved over to the very bottom of the tower of platforms where those in the lead were racing to get off the structure first. Occupying the bottom few platforms were Jo, Shawn, Gwen, Topher, and Zoey.

"Yes, I'm going to make it!" Zoey cheered as she jumped down another platform down.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Jo replied as she landed next to Zoey.

"You ever think you're being too competitive, Jo?" Gwen wondered as she jumped to the platform above Jo and Zoey.

"Oh, shut up." Jo replied. "Why is everyone always giving me advice I don't ask for?"

Jo hopped down to the final platform just as Shawn and Topher made it to the platform she was just on.

"There's no way we're letting you come back on the show." Topher stated. "You were literally the first person off the show this season."

"Shut up, Topher." Jo told him as she leaped off the stack of platforms. "How'd you even make it this far?"

"Great question. Wish I knew." Topher as he hopped down another platform.

"Guys! Incoming!" A voice from above shouted.

All the competitors looked up and saw DJ bouncing down from the platforms above towards them.

"Oh crap..." Shawn trailed off.

DJ fell right past the platform containing Shawn and Gwen but landed on top of Zoey.

"Ow..." DJ groaned. "At least I stopped falling... You okay Zoey?"

"Yeah... Think so..." Zoey murmured.

"Heh, you two have fun." Topher remarked as he jumped off the platform to the ground.

Almost as soon as Topher was gone, Gwen and Shawn landed next to where Zoey and DJ were piled up.

"Uh, you want help?" Gwen offered.

"Yes please..." DJ weakly muttered.

The camera focused on the ground of the parking lot where Jo and Topher were running towards where the three hosts of the Aftermath were waiting.

"I'm totally gonna win this." Topher confidently stated.

"Ha!" Jo laughed. "There's no way I'm letting someone like _you_ best me."

Jo sped herself up and manged to make it a foot or two in front of Topher.

"Pfft, two can play at that game." Topher claimed.

The camera cut to Blaineley, Geoff, and Bridgette waiting by the front door to the studio for the contestants to reach them.

"Ugh, how long 'til they get here?" Blaineley asked.

"Oh my god, why are you so impatient?" Bridgette remarked.

"Just asnwer my question." Blaineley requested,

"I think I see some of 'em coming." Geoff said.

Bridgette and Blaineley looked over and saw Topher and Jo coming towards them.

"Thank god, finally." Blaineley remarked.

"This looks like a close race, folks. Who's it gonna be?" Bridgette asked, looking into the camera.

Her question was answered almost immediately when Jo ran up to them and handed her flag off to Geoff.

"Here!" Jo shouted. "Now I win!"

"Congratulations Jo." Bridgette told her. "You're the first of our four returnees."

"Ha, you know it." Jo proudly said.

Just then, Topher ran up to the group looking incredibly out of breath.

"Here... Take it..." Topher panted, holding his flag out in front of him.

Bridgette grabbed the flag from Topher.

"Thanks..." Topher continued to pant.

"Told you I'd beat you." Jo told him.

"Yeah, well, I still get to go back on the show." Topher stated.

"Both of you shut it." Blaineley told them. "We're still waiting for two other people."

The scene changed over to Gwen, Zoey, Shawn, and DJ running towards the hosts through the parking lot.

"Okay, I'm definitely making it there third." Gwen told herself.

"That doesn't sound very impressive." Zoey pointed out.

"Well, the first two spots are taken." Gwen said.

"True." Zoey realized.

Shawn managed to get to the front of the group by a few feet.

"Sorry everyone, it's gonna be me who gets there first." Shawn stated.

Shawn sped up further and ran up to where the three hosts were where he stopped himself.

"Here you go!" Shawn cheered as he gave Blaineley his flag.

"Congrats, now there's just one returnee spot left." Blaineley told him.

"Who will it be? Zoey, Gwen, or DJ?" Geoff asked.

"It's hard to tell at this point." Bridgette replied. "We'll just have to watch."

The camera moved back over to Zoey, DJ, and Gwen racing towards the hosts.

"Okay Gwen, you can make it." Gwen motivated herself. "Wow, talking in third person sounds weird."

"I can't believe I made it this far." DJ remarked.

"Yeah, it's real impressive." Zoey said.

"No, I can't believe it 'cause I'm not even sure I wanna come back on the show." DJ explained.

"Why are you still running?" Gwen asked.

"Mostly 'cause I'm starting to feel a little conflicted." DJ admitted.

"Well, uh, good luck I guess." Zoey said.

The camera cut back over to the hosts.

"Okay, here they come now." Geoff remarked.

"All right, that's more like it." Blaineley said. "Now this whole thing can finally be over."

DJ reached three hosts and stood there for a few moments.

"Congratulations, DJ." Bridgette told him. "Give us the flag and you'll be our fourth and final returning player."

"Uh, hold on." DJ said. "I'm still not sure I wanna come back. Just gimme a moment, and then I might give you the flag."

"Ugh, really?" Blaineley asked, sounding annoyed. "Just give me that flag."

Blaineley grabbed the flag out of DJ's hands.

"Okay, there. Now you're our further returning player." Blaineley told him.

"Aw, wait! I still haven't decided!" DJ said.

"Well, I chose for you. And there's no rule against it so you can't complain." Blainley replied.

Gwen and Zoey ran over to the hosts.

"Did we lose?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, all the returning spots are taken." Geoff told them.

"Well, at least I got close." Zoey remarked.

"All right, let's wait for all the other losers to get here and then we can end this episode." Blaineley said.

"Why are you like this?" Bridgette asked, sounding irritate at her co-host.

The scene switched to a bit later in the parking lot where all the contestants and hosts had gathered together and were all looking at the camera.

"Well, that's all the time we got here." Bridgette told the audience.

"But look on the bright side, we got four of these guys comin' back on the show." Geoff continued.

"So stick around." Blaineley went on. "'Cause soon, there will be more Total..."

"Drama..." Geoff continued.

"Champions!" Bridgette finished it off.

* * *

 **And that was the Aftermath. Were you guys surprised by the returning players thing? Originally this wasn't part of the story so I hope it goes over well. So just for a quick recap, Jo, Shawn, DJ, and Topher are all returning. Anyway, that's about all I've gotta say for this chapter. Be sure to leave a review if you feel like it. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Ghostbusted!

**Hey there, I know it's been two weeks since the last chapter was up but luckily, I have everything done now. So you all can get to the reading. But first, I'm going to respond to your reviews before anything else.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** As usual, thanks.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Okay, I'll give your Tomorrowland idea serious consideration. You're very convincing.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for the review.

 **Too:** I'm assuming you meant to say "Go Topher". Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

 **All right, that about does it for the reviews. Now it's time for this chapter to commence.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Our contestants joined the world of popular comic book character: Batman. But they spent most of their time getting beat up by a guy in a luchador mask. But hey, they probably had fun. So that's what counts. And in the end, it was Shawn that ended up being kicked off the show. Who will go next and what surprises are next? Find out on, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

The sun had risen on the abandoned film lot that Total Drama Champions took place on. The remaining six contestants in the game had gathered in the mess hall and spread themselves out on the tables. One table held Amy and Sky, another had Dave and Scott, and the last table had Lightning and Sierra. The camera focused on the table with both Sierra and Lightning where the both of them looked quite defeated.

"Sha-man… I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I miss Shawn." Lightning sighed. "He was weird 'bout the zombies, but other than that he was pretty cool."

"Yeah, I always liked writing about him on my blog." Sierra tried to sympathize.

"No what am I s'posed to do now?" Lightning wondered out loud. "I got nobody to work with."

"Hey, I've been working with nobody the entire game." Sierra said. "It's not that bad."

"Hmm, I guess." Lightning replied.

"Y'know, we're the only two not in an alliance." Sierra remarked. "We could help each other out, right?"

"Nah, I'm good. I don't really know you anyway." Lightning said. "But ya do seem kinda weird."

"It's okay, I get it." Sierra replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"This sucks! With Shawn gone, Lightning doesn't have any allies." Lightning remarked. "Guess I'll have to go it alone."

* * *

The camera moved over to Dave and Scott's table.

"So, I think we did pretty good on getting rid of Shawn." Scott remarked. "Who do you think we should go after next? The obvious target is Amy or Sky, right?"

Scott looks at Dave and sees that he's just staring off into space.

"Hey, dummy, pay attention." Scott told Dave, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Oh, sorry, guess I'm just a little tired." Dave explained. "What were you saying?"

"Who should we vote for next?" Scott asked.

"Oh, Sky obviously." Dave told him.

"Yep, saw that coming." Scott remarked. "But this time, I've got nothing against it."

"Really?" Dave asked, sounding hopefully.

"Absolutely." Scott said. "She's gonna be a threat of she sticks around for too long."

"Great. In that case let's do everything we can to make sure she doesn't win this challenge." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I feel like I hate Sky a little more than I should." Dave admitted. "But to be honest, I've been dedicated to eliminating her for too long to just give up."

* * *

The camera moved over to Amy and Sky at their table.

"So… Have anything you wanna talk about?" Sky asked.

"Hmm…" Amy trailed off, thinking. "Uh, no. Not really. I kinda just wanna eat."

"Yeah, fair enough." Sky replied. "Let's do that. Just get some nice peace and quiet."

The two of them began eating their breakfast in silence for a few moments but were promptly interrupted by the sound of the mess hall's double doors swinging open.

"Did somebody say Chris McLean!" They heard the voice of Chris cheer from out of their view.

The camera panned to the front doors of the cafeteria that Chris had just burst through.

"Nope, nobody said that." Scott stated.

"Well, I heard it." Chris replied.

"Why exactly are you interrupting our perfectly mediocre breakfast this time?" Amy asked. "No, wait, let me guess 'Challenge time'."

"Well, yes, that's part of it. But we have a second thing to announce." Chris said.

"'Kay, this could be interesting." Lightning remarked.

"So, between episodes the third Aftermath was held." Chris explained. "Obviously, you wouldn't know this. But, during that episode there was a contest to see which contestants would return."

"So you're bringing people back?" Sky asked.

"Right you are." Chris replied. "We're bringing back not one, not two, but _four_ of our previously eliminated contestants!"

"No! Dammit!" Amy suddenly exclaimed. "Why? You can't just throw a curveball like that!"

"It makes the game interesting, okay." Chris replied. "Now if you please, step outside and you'll meet the four returnees."

"Sha-sweet, let's go see this." Lightning remarked as he stood up from his table.

All the contestants exited the mess hall and looked around.

"Okay, so where are they?" Dave asked.

"Remember how All-Stars started?" Chris asked.

"Oh yeah, I jumped out of a plane." Sierra remembered. "And Chef pushed all the others."

"Well, I thought it'd be a neat little callback if we did it again." Chris explained. "Bring in the plane!"

An old mostly broken down plane flies low over the film lot.

"Oh my god, you're serious." Sky remarked.

"Sure am." Chris replied. "Now first up, you just eliminated him and thought he was gone for good, but nope. He's back next episode! Everybody welcome: Shawn!"

Chef stepped into view of the plane's door, holding Shawn by the shoulders.

"Uh, this looks kinda dangerous." Shawn remarked.

"Hey, I'm just payed to drop you." Chef replied.

Chef let go out Shawn and he fell out of the plane.

"Ah!" Shawn exclaimed in fear.

He slammed into the ground near the other contestants.

"I'm okay... Mostly..." Shawn muttered.

"Oh, great, you're back." Scott sarcastically said.

"Next up, you thought she was definitely gone because she was literally the first one off the show." Chris continued. "That's right, everyone meet Jo!"

Chef walked over to the door of the plane, holding Jo.

"You can't be serious! There's no way dropping me out of this plane is safe!" Jo portested.

"Just doin' my job, sorry." Chef casually replied before tossing Jo out of the plane.

"This is not fair!" Jo shouted as she plummeted.

Jo landed face first on the ground near Shawn.

"Wow, this is a lot more violent than in All-Stars." Sierra remarked.

"You're telling me..." Jo groaned in pain.

"Thank you, I try my best." Chris replied. "Anyway, next we have a season one competitor who placed twelfth this season. That's right, it's DJ!"

Chef walked to the plane's door, leading DJ with him.

"I don't like hights, falling, or injuries!" DJ shouted.

"Yeah, nobody really does." Chef replied. "But the producers thought the folks at home would like this."

Chef gave DJ a shove, causing him to fall out of the plane. DJ let out a high pitched shriek as he fell which was then cut off when he hit the ground near the other two contestants.

"Why..." DJ weakly muttered.

"Because it's fun." Chris replied.

"I feel like it's less entertaining without the water." Sierra remarked.

"Nobody asked you." Chris stated. "Anyway, last, but not least, we have this season's first merge boot and my most annoying fan: Topher!"

Chef walked over to the door of the plane with Topher following him.

"Wow, so I'm really gonna be jumping out of this, huh?" Topher remarked.

"Yep." Chef bluntly replied.

"Awesome! It makes me feel like a winner." Topher said. "Okay, let me just-"

Chef cut Topher off by shoving him out of the plane.

"I'm still okay with this!" Topher exclaimed as he fell.

Topher slammed into the ground near the others.

"Okay, now that this is out of the way, meet me at the usual spot for our challenge." Chris told them. "Take your time, I'm sure it'll take a while to recover from that fall."

Lightning approached where Shawn still lay on the ground. Shawn reached up a hand and Lightning grabbed it in response. Lightning lifted Shawn from the ground and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Shawn! You came back!" Lightning cheered, still hugging his friend.

"Lightning! I can't breath!" Shawn yelled.

"Oh, sorry." Lightning said, letting him go. "I'm just happy we got our alliance back."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I know I wasn't too crazy about it in the beginning, but now I'm glad I'm in an alliance with Lightning." Shawn remarked. "I'm actually just glad to be back in general."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I'm sure glad Shawn's back. We're gonna win this game!" Lightning cheered.

* * *

The scene changed to the ten contestants arriving at the warehouse that contained all the virtual reality equipment. Chris and Chef were already waiting for them.

"Great, glad you could make it." Chris remarked. "So, what do you all think of the new guys?"

"Not a fan. You brought back way too many." Amy complained.

"C'mon, we're right here." DJ replied.

"Don't care." Amy said.

"Hey, Chris, what are we doing today?" Jo asked.

"Thank you for asking me." Chris replied. "Today's challenge is based on the film Ghostbusters! You'll all be sent to a creepy abandoned location where there's a ghost on the loose."

"So it's gonna be scary?" DJ asked.

"Yep, kinda." Chris replied.

"Aw man..." DJ sighed.

"Pfft, wimp." Jo scoffed.

"Now I'm remembering why she was kicked off first." Shawn quietly remarked.

"Anyway, there aren't really any rules. Just try to catch the ghost." Chris went on.

"Uh, how exactly?" Sky asked.

"Half the fun is figuring out." Chris replied. "Now, take a seat and we'll send you on a spooky adventure!"

With that, all the contestants went to the chairs set up around the room and sat down.

"Okay, fire it up!" Chris cheered to Chef.

Chef nodded and began pressing buttons on the machine in the centre of the room.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"It was super nice to be back and all but I just wish we got a less frightening challenge to start off with." DJ remarked.

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants found themselves in front of the rusted front gate of an abandoned amusement park. All of them wore beige jumpsuits and had something strapped to their back that looked like a metal backpack.

"Ugh, where the hell are we?" Amy asked.

"Looks like some kind of carnival." Scott remarked as he glanced up at the gate.

"Oh, great, that sounds like it'll be creepy." Dave commented.

"Okay Amy, let's get in there." Sky told her friend.

"This is gonna be great." Topher remarked to nobody in particular.

Amy nodded and the two of them pushed through the gate and went into the theme park. Pretty soon, all the other contestants had followed them into the park and begun to split off into different directions.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I love second chances." Topher remarked. "And this time, I'm not gonna mess it up. No sir. That million dollars is as good as mine."

* * *

A little while later, all the contestants had split off into their own groups and begun to explore the park. Near what used to be the carnival's "Tunnel of Love", Amy and Sky wandering around.

"Ugh, what are we even supposed to do?" Amy complained.

"Well, we need to find the ghost first of all." Sky replied.

"Oh gee, that's so self-explanatory." Amy sarcastically remarked. "After all, everyone knows how to hunt for ghosts."

"How about you check your backpack for anything useful instead of just talking?" Sky suggested.

"Oh, how about _you_ \- Actually, that's a good idea." Amy begrudgingly admitted.

Amy felt at her backpack and after a couple moments, she grabbed some kind of radar device with an electric cable connecting it to the backpack.

"Hmm... This looks like a tracker..." Amy mumbled.

Amy pressed a button on the device and an antenna stuck up from it and a display on the screen showed a small dot somewhere in the vicinity of them.

"All right, this looks like it's working out." Amy remarked.

"What's the tracker say?" Sky asked.

"Looks like it's inside that tunnel." Amy stated. "C'mon, let's check it out."

The two of them entered the Tunnel of Love, walking along the side by the water.

"Are we getting closer?" Sky asked.

"I don't know, that dot's still there though." Amy said. "So, like, that's a good sign."

Sky and Amy continued along the walkway together. Sky glanced down at the water and noticed some bubbling going on below it.

"Uh oh..." Sky trailed off. "Uh, Amy, look at this."

"What is it?" Amy replied, sounding annoyed.

Sky pointed down at the water and Amy looked down. Amy froze once she saw the bubbles.

"That definitely looks haunted..." Amy trailed off in realization.

Sky quietely nodded in agreement. The water begins to bubble even more and green smoke begins to rise from the bubbling area.

"Quick! We need to catch whatever's down there!" Sky exclaimed.

"Uh, how?" Amy asked.

"Check the backpack again!" Sky replied in panic.

Both Sky and Amy began to feel at their backpack for anything useful. From the water and smoke rose a tall slender figure. They had pale white skin, bright red lips, matching red hair that stuck out to the sides, a white baggy jumpsuit, and a slightly transparent body. In other words, they were a ghost clown.

"Dammit, I can't figure out what all these things are." Amy said as she searched through the items strapped to her back.

"New plan! Let's run away, figure out what the ghost traps are, and catch this guy later." Sky suggested.

The ghost clown let out a maniacal cackle.

"Good idea." Amy agreed.

The two of them ran away from the area and the ghost clown followed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Usually, I'm not afraid of clowns." Sky stated. "But ghost clowns, I guess that's another story."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside a crumbling building that had a sign reading "House of Mirrors" above it, Sierra and Topher were searching for the ghost together.

"Wow, this is so awesome!" Topher cheered to himself. "Back on the show."

"Be quiet." Sierra told him in a hushed tone. "We don't wanna scare the ghost off."

"Pfft, you can't scare a ghost." Topher said. "Now c'mon, let's check out this mirror maze thing."

"Okay, sure, why not." Sierra replied.

Sierra took the ghost radar off her back as the two of them entered the House of Mirrors. The inside was exactly as advertised. Every wall in the winding maze of an interior was a mirror.

"Hey Sierra, which one of these is the ghost catching gun?" Topher enquired as they moved through the reflective halls.

"I dunno." Sierra replied. "I'm a Total Drama expert not a ghost busting expert."

"Hmm, fair enough." Topher said.

"Just mess around until you find one that seems right." Sierra suggested. "That's what I'd do."

Topher grabbed at his backpack as they continued through the mirror house.

"So what kind of ghost do you think haunts a theme park?" Sierra asked.

"Probably something like a strongman or a clown. Shouldn't be that scary." Topher confidently replied.

"I dunno, clowns can get pretty scary." Sierra argued.

"Yeah, but it's too obvious." Topher countered. "No way Chris would make it a ghost clown."

"Okay, but what else could it be?" Sierra asked.

"I dunno, we'll find out eventually." Topher replied.

Topher pulled something off his backpack that appeared to be gun shaped but had a bit of a sci-fi look for it.

"Especially with this thing." Topher added.

The two of them continued through the maze of mirrors quietely for a moment or two. But the two of them stopped when the hall came to a dead end.

"Ugh, seriously?" Topher complained. "Man, mazes are the worst."

The duo turned back around but what they saw made them freeze up. Instead of their own reflections in any of the mirrors was the reflection of the ghost clown that had been encountered earlier.

"Crap! There he is, get him!" Topher exclaimed.

"Which one? There are a lot of mirrors." Sierra pointed out as she scrambled to grab the gun from her backpack.

"Try all of them!" Topher shouted back in panic.

Topher fired up his gun and shot a steam of orange energy at several of the mirrors. The mirrors just shattered and the ghost clown began laughing. Sierra took her gun out and shot another beam of energy at the other mirrors. But once again, it just broke the mirrors with no other effect.

"I don't think we're doing anything." Sierra said.

The two of them stopped shooting and saw they had broken all the mirrors the clown was in. But the sinister laughter continued.

"Okay, follow that laugh. We'll find this guy at some point." Topher replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I feel like Topher would be good for an alliance." Sierra remarked. "I mean, we're both like, _huge_ Total Drama fans so that's a good start."

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were approaching the amusement park's Fun House but were being followed around by Jo.

"Hey, do you mind leaving us alone." Scott annoyedly remarked, glancing back at Jo as they approached the fun house.

"Listen, I just got back here and I need someone to work with." Jo stated.

"Well, me and Dave already have an alliance going on." Scott remarked.

"In that case, I'll just follow you." Jo told him. "Can't stop me then, can you?"

"She's got a point there." Dave admitted

"Fine, you can follow us. But you can't be in our alliance." Scott said.

"We'll see about that." Jo replied.

The group stopped inside the fun house.

"You guys think a ghost will be in there?" Jo asked.

"Y'know what, as long as you're with us try not to talk too much." Scott told her.

Jo grumbled something to herself and the trio continued walking in silence. The group began walking up a slightly crooked staircase.

"Hey, I think Jo has a point. How do we know a ghost is in here?" Dave wondered.

"If I was a ghost at a carnival I'd go to the creepiest place I could fine." Scott explained. "And, well, this fits the bill."

"Makes sense." Dave agreed.

"No it doesn't..." Jo mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Scott asked.

"Nothing." Jo replied.

They reached the top of the stairs and looked around.

"Hmm... I hate to say it, but I think this place might be abandoned." Dave remarked.

"Ugh, let's get out of here." Jo remarked. "These decorations are giving me the creeps."

Jo looked at the walls and observed the paintings of clowns, circus animals, and acrobats.

"Wow, you're right." Dave agreed. "Especially this one."

Dave pointed to a clown on the wall resembling the one that terrorized the other teams. Only a lot less dead of course. All three contestants crowded around the wall art but quickly jolted back when through the wall jumped the ghost clown, cackling evilly.

"Get him!" Scott barked, grabbing the gun off his backpack.

The other two backed up and took out their guns. The trio fired at the ghost who simply moved out of the way causing the streams of orange energy to burn the walls. The ghost dove down at them and tackled Dave to the ground.

"Gah! How can it touch me!?" Dave exclaimed. "It's a ghost!"

"Don't worry, we'll handle this." Jo said, firing up her gun again.

The two of them fired off their weapons but the ghost jumped up causing Dave to be hit by the orange stream. The ghost flew through the ceiling and Jo and Scott stopped firing their weapon.

"You okay Dave?" Scott asked.

"I feel like I was turned into a lightbulb..." Dave muttered.

"Okay people, we need to find that ghost!" Jo shouted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Jo)**

"It's hard getting back into the game after being eliminated first." Jo admitted. "But, I feel like I'm managing fine."

* * *

Meanwhile, by an abandoned carousel, Shawn and Lightning were walking around with DJ following them. Shawn has his ghost radar out,

"See any ghosts, guys?" DJ asked.

"Not yet." Shawn replied.

"Hey, Shawn, why's this guy here?" Lightning asked.

"I just wanted some people to tag along with." DJ spoke up.

"But me and Shawn, we're already a duo." Lightning told him.

"Leave him alone, I like the company." Shawn said.

"All right, fine." Lightning replied.

"Thanks Shawn." DJ remarked.

The three of them stopped in front of the carousel.

"Okay, that dot on the radar seems to be coming from here." Shawn remarked. "Let's look around."

"I don't like the sound of that..." DJ nervously trailed off.

The three of them climbed on to the carousel and began looking around for any signs of ghosts.

"I got a good fellin' 'bout this." Lightning remarked. "We're totally gonna find that ghost."

"Oh, okay..." DJ replied, shaking a little.

"Don't be worried, at least it's not a zombie." Shawn said.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just after that vampire thing at the beginning, I'm afraid of how scary these challenges are gonna get." DJ explained.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Shawn replied. "Ghosts can't bite me."

Suddenly, the lights on the carousel flicked on.

"Yo, what the hell was that?" Lightning asked.

The sound of rusty machinery slowly clanking to life is heard by the trio.

"Uh oh, this is definitely getting haunted." Shawn remarked.

The carousel gradually began to rotate and off-tune carnival music began to play.

"Okay, can we get out of here now?" DJ requested.

"No way, we're staying." Lightning replied.

"Something bad's gonna happen..." DJ mumbled to himself.

The trio of ghost hunters began to group up together as the merry-go-round continued to spin. Suddenly, the ghost clown jumps out through the middle of the carousel out at the three competitors. The trio scattered as the ghost clown landed on top of a horse where it began to laugh.

"All right, we're gettin' this guy." Lightning confidently remarked.

"Not me!" DJ remarked as he began to turn around to flee.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I have no idea how that DJ guy came back." Lightning said. "Seriously, he seems like he has no idea what he's doing."

* * *

Lightning and Shawn took the guns off their back and shot it at the ghost. The clown jumped up causing the beams of energy to dust burn up the horse.

"Second time's the charm!" Shawn exclaimed.

The ghost landed on a second horse and the duo fired off their gun at it a second time. This time, the stream of orange energy connected to the ghost causing it to scream in surprise.

"Sha-sweet!" Lightning cheered. "Get the ghost trap out so we can win the challenge!"

"Hey, no fair!" A male voice shouted from out of their view.

Shawn and Lightning look over to see Topher and Sierra running up to the two of them and lookin out of breath.

"We've been trying to find this guy forever!" Topher went on, pointing at the ghost.

"Sorry, man. We caught this dude fair and square." Lightning told them.

"Well, we'll get him first." Topher declared. "C'mon, Sierra."

Topher and Sierra took their guns off their pack and fired it at the ghost. The ghost saw the two approaching beams of energy and squirmed around in panic. It broke free from the two beams it already was being attacked by. The four energy rays destroyed the horse.

"Seriously?! How'd it break out?!" Shawn exclaimed.

"I was thinking the same thing!" Sierra said.

The ghost let out another cackle and flew off to somewhere else in the amusement park.

"Yo, let's follow that ghost." Lightning told his partner.

Shawn nodded and the two of them ran off.

"Ooh, let's do that too." Sierra said.

Topher and Sierra dashed off after the ghost.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I feel like Sierra might work as an alliance." Topher remarked. "I mean, she's a little loony but hey, I need to start somewhere after getting back."

* * *

Meanwhile, down a row of old abandoned carnival game booths, Amy and Sky walked together.

"Lousy ghost creep." Amy said. "This challenge is stupid."

"Well, look on the bright side." Sky replied.

"And what's that?" Amy asked.

"At least none of this is actually happening." Sky told her.

"Okay, fair point." Amy replied. "Let's just find this ghost and get this challenge over with."

Amy and Sky turned a corner only to be toppled over when Sierra and Topher rammed into them.

"Ugh! You klutz!" Amy shouted as she helped herself back to her feet.

"Have you seen a ghost?" Sierra asked, doing the same.

"Uh, should we have?" Sky replied.

"We were chasing it and we saw it go in this direction." Topher explained.

"Oh really now?" Amy replied. "Gee, thanks for the tip. C'mon Sky, let's go find that ghost."

"Hold on, we kinda lost it. So our advice isn't really much help." Sierra pointed out.

"Yeah, she's got a point." Sky said.

"Oh, great, so now what do we do?" Amy sarcastically asked. "Wait around until it decides to haunt us?"

"Well, yeah, that's one way of doing it." Topher replied.

"It's called sarcasm, you idiot." Amy said. "Honestly, how-"

Amy was cut off when a foam hammer hit her in the back of his head.

"Who did that!?" Amy shouted.

The four competitors looked in the direction the hammer came from and saw a second foam hammer floating in mid air. Suddenly, the ghost clown materialized around the hammer, grasping it. The flung the hammer at the group, cackling madly.

"There he is!" Topher exclaimed.

"Okay Amy, let's do this!" Sky said as she took out her weapon.

All four of the contestants took their ghost catching guns off their back and aimed them at the ghost. They shot off their guns at the ghost who flew upwards out of the way. Just then, Jo, Scott, and Dave ran onto the scene.

"Ha! Knew we'd find them!" Jo cheered.

"Okay, it's seriously getting a bit crowded in here." Sky noticed.

"Well, deal with it. We're catching that ghost." Scott said as he took out his ghost catching gun.

Suddenly, Shawn and Lightning ran onto the scene before things could continue.

"Really? You guys too?" Sky asked. "Is DJ just gonna show up now?"

Almost as she finished saying this, DJ ran over to the group of contestants.

"Aw man, I was trying to get _away_ from this guy." DJ remarked.

"Um, so what should we do now that we're all here?" Sierra asked.

"Everyone's here, so I say it's a free-for-all." Jo said. "Everyone for themselves."

"I can get behind that." Scott agreed.

The ghost laughed again and dove down at the crowd of competitors. All of them managed to duck down as the phantom swooped over them. The specter landed on top of a booth. Jo shot at the ghost but it just flew into the air.

"Ugh! There's got to be more in this backpack!" Jo exclaimed.

Jo tossed down her gun and grabbed at her backpack where she grabbed a round metal ball.

"Why not." Jo said before tossing the ball at the ghost.

The orb exploded in a flash of orange light in midair. After the light faded the ghost was struggling to move, unable to get out of the spot it was currently floating in.

"Yes! I'm totally taking advantage of this!" Shawn cheered.

"Yeah, I think everyone is." Sky remarked.

All the contestants, with the main exception of DJ who was slowly backing away, took aim at the ghost and shot their ray guns off at it. The ghost screamed and tried to move around more as the beams of orange energy hit it. The contestants focused their lasers up at the ghost. DJ looked at all the contestants and the ghosts as this happened.

"Huh, they're not even trying to catch the ghost." DJ remarked. "I wonder..."

DJ took a metal rectangle with a cord coming out of it off the backpack and placed it on the ground.

"I hope this works." DJ remarked.

DJ slid the rectangle across the ground until it was under the ghost clown. He then pressed a button on the cord causing a panel in the rectangle to open up and white light to come out. The ghost clown is sucked up byt he light and into the metal rectangle. DJ quickly let go of the button and the ghost trap closed up.

"Uh, what just happened?" Dave asked.

"I think DJ won." Scott replied. "I'm not happy about it, I'm just saying the facts."

All the contestants began to glow a light blue.

"Yep, that's a definite win." Scott continued.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I feel like I got lucky back there." DJ admitted. "But, who knows, maybe I'll get lucky again."

* * *

Back in the real world, all the contestants had begun to awake from the virtual reality chairs and remove their helmets.

"And welcome back!" Chris announced. "How did you enjoy your little ghostly adventure?"

"Meh, could've been better." Sierra replied.

"Uh, so, just so we're clear, who won?" Dave asked.

"Oh, that would be DJ." Chris stated.

"Ugh! Seriously?!" Jo irritably replied. "How?!"

"I don't know how it happened, I'm just reporting it." Chris said.

"Dammit!" Jo exclaimed. "I wish I had something to kick right now!"

Upon hearing this, the contestants slowly took a few steps away from Jo.

"Anyway, DJ has immunity but the rest of you certainly don't." Chris replied. "Now-"

"Let me guess, it's time to eat something gross Chef made and then go to the elimination ceremony." Scott interrupted.

"You know what, just for your prediction, I'm reversing the order today." Chris told him.

"Wait, what?" Scott asked.

"We'll be doing the elimination ceremony and you can go get a bite to eat once the cameras stop rolling." Chris said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I gotta learn when to stop talking." Scott remarked.

* * *

The scene changed to later inside the girls' trailer where Amy manically paced back in forth in front of the beds. Sky calmly sat on one of the beds and looked at her partner with a mixture of worry and confusion on her face.

"Uh, are you okay?" Sky asked.

"We need to think fast, Sky." Amy told her. "We've only got a few minutes before the elimination ceremony and I have no idea who to vote for."

"Okay, um, just try to calm down." Sky suggested.

"Don't tell me how to think!" Amy snapped.

"All right, all right." Sky said. "How about you just list some people you hate."

"Um, Jo, Scott, Lightning... Dave." Amy listed.

"Now we just need to figure out who's the most dangerous player left in the game." Sky said.

"Well, Lightning and Dave are annoying." Amy said. "But I feel like Jo and Scott are more of a game threat. We should take out one of them?"

"But which one?" Sky asked.

"I don't know, I can't do everything." Amy replied. "You pick one."

"Uh, um, how about Scott?" Sky suggested.

"Great idea." Amy agreed. "Okay, let's get to the ceremony."

The scene switched over to inside the other trailer where Lightning was casually leaned up against the wall while talking to Shawn.

"So whatta you think?" Shawn asked. "Who should we go for."

"Well, Lightning ain't a fan of those new guys." Lightning stated. "I say we get rid of one of them."

"Hmm, that could be a good idea." Shawn said. "Who do you think is the biggest threat? Besides me, of course."

"Jo. That dude doesn't seem to like me anyway." Lightning replied.

"That could work." Shawn agreed. "But Topher always struck me as a bit of a schemer."

"Okay, that's a plan too." Lightning said. "Tell ya what, let's just see how we're feelin' once we're in the confessional and hope for the best."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shawn asked.

"Hmm... I dunno." Lightning admitted. "But I'm bored now and the ceremony starts in like, two minutes so it's what I'm gonna do."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I keep going back and forth on whether this alliance was a good idea or not." Shawn admitted.

* * *

A little while later, all the contestants were walking towards the elimination ceremony area together. The camera focused on Scott and Dave walking next to each other.

"Hey, Scott, I just realized something." Dave remarked.

"What's that?" Scott asked.

"We never actually talked about who we're voting for." Dave pointed out.

"Well, it's kinda cutting it close if we're doing it now." Scott said.

"I just want to know if we can still do my vote for Sky idea." Dave explained.

"Yeah, sure, why not." Scott replied. "She had to go at some point."

"Great, glad we had this talk." Dave said.

The scene cut to a bit later with all the contestants in the bleachers and Chris up on stage.

"So, how's the early elimination ceremony feel?" Chris asked.

"Uh, not too different to be honest." Sierra said.

"Oh, anyway, that's not important." Chris said. "What is important is deciding who gets eliminated tonight. Now, I'm sure most of you have already made up your mind on who to vote for. And if you hadn't, you'd better do it soon. Anyway, get to the voting room and vote!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over one of Sky's photos.

"She isn't the biggest threat, but if it keeps Dave on my side I'll do it." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dace crossed out a picture of Sky.

"I really think there's a chance of eliminating you this time. And that makes me happy." Dave remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Jo)**

Jo showed a drawn over photograph of Dave to the camera.

"I really think you're the weakest link. Just in general, I mean." Jo commented.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning held up a picture of Jo with an X drawn on it.

"Man, it ain't fair that the first person out comes back." Lightning remarked. "Plus, we always had our rivalry thing goin' on."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over a photograph of Jo.

"I never really got to know you, but you're definitely a threat." Shawn said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy showed a photo of Scott with an X drawn over his face to the camera.

"You're definitely one of my last competent enemies in the game." Amy stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky scribbled an X over one of Scott's photographs.

"You're just not likeable, and you're a threat to me winning." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra drew an X over a picture of Lightning.

"I feel like you're going to be a bigger threat than I think you are." Sierra commented.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ held a crossed out photo of Amy to the camera.

"I don't really know how to sound nice while saying this, but you just don't have a likaeble personality." DJ admitted.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

"I just don't know who to vote for." Topher admitted. "To me, it's down between either Jo or Scott. They're both equally good targets... Hmm... Decisions, decisions."

* * *

The scene changed over to Chris back on stage after the votes had been cast.

"Okay, after looking over the votes we have a very clear loser." Chris stated. "But before we get to that, let's go over the people we're going to spare tonight. DJ, Shawn, Sierra, and Topher. You're all in the clear."

Chris threw the four of them their Gilded Chris Awards.

"Next, let's go over who _did_ get votes." Chris said. "Amy, Lightning, Dave, and Sky. People voted for you, but not quite enough. You're safe. For now."

Chris tossed the next four their awards.

"And so, that leaves us with Scott and Jo." Chris remarked. "One of you gets to stay, and the other one has to go home. And so, the final Gilded Chris Award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Scott!"

Chris tossed the very last award over to Scott.

"Ha!" Scott cheered. "Thank you, Chris."

"What?!" Jo exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding. I just got back here!"

"Y'know, you always reminded me of Eva." Chris said. "But I guess this just confirms it. Anyway, get going. We got the Lame-o-sine parked just over there."

Jo angrily stood up and silently walked down the red carpet towards the limousine. She entered and sat down where she immediately noticed the in-car camera.

"Unbelieveable. Shawn gets to return after being voted off, and I get voted off after returning." Jo said. "Look, driver, I don't have anything else interesting to say. Just get me out of here."

The car drove off and the scene changed back to Chris on stage.

"Well, that about does it for today's episode." Chris remarked. "Nine remain. Who's gonna leave next? There's no way to know. So stick around for some, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Shawn, Topher, DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Amy, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: Sky

Dave: Sky

Lightning: Jo

Shawn: Jo

Amy: Scott

Sky: Scott

Sierra: Lightning

Jo: Dave

Topher: Jo

DJ: Amy

 **Results:**

Jo: 3 votes

Scott: 2 votes

Sky: 2 votes

Lightning: 1 vote

Amy: 1 vote

Dave: 1 vote

* * *

 **And that was the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. I've only ever seen the first Ghostbusters film and didn't really bother with the sequel or 2016 remake. But I did see a few episodes of the cartoon from the 90's. By the way, if you're wondering why I eliminated Jo, I didn't have any plot options for her. Anyway, that's about all I've gotta say here. Thanks for reading.**


	17. From Canada with Love

**And now this story is back. Hooray. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. And once again I also hope that I can update this story even quicker next time. Anyway, I have very little to say about this authors note so let's just get into the responses to the reviews from last time.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** As usual, thanks.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thanks for reviewing and for the world's fair references if I choose to use the Tomorrowland challenge.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Once more, thanks for reviewing.

 **Huh, that was pretty short response. Anyway, now that I'm officially done, it's on to the story.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. Four contestants returned much to the displeasure of certain competitors who remained. Well, mostly Amy and Scott. And once they were back, we sent them off to hunt ghosts. In the end, it ended up with DJ as the winner and Jo being sent home. Too bad, she just got here too. Anyway, there are nine more contestants left and not all of them can stay. So stick around because it's time for, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

One morning, the sun had risen over the abandoned film lot and all the remaining contestants had gone down to the mess hall for some breakfast. Inside, all the contestants appeared to be eating oatmeal and had split off into tables based on their alliances. Except for DJ and Topher who only sat together because of coincidence and Sierra who was in the process of looking for a place to sit. The camera focused in one DJ and Topher's table.

"So how's your breakfast?" Topher asked.

"Not very good. Kinda just tastes like mushy paste." DJ said.

"Yeah, same here." Topher replied. "And yet, it still doesn't ruin being here."

Just then, the two of them were approached by Sierra who sat down across from DJ and next to Topher.

"Hey guys!" Sierra chirped. "Can I sit here?"

"Yeah, totallly." DJ said.

"Go ahead." Topher agreed.

"Great." Sierra remarked as she placed down her tray of food. "So, how're you liking it back here?"

"Uh... Could be better." DJ replied. "I'd really rather just be back at home."

"Well, next time, try not to win." Topher jokingly remarked. "Seriously, I wanna do that next time."

"Y'know guys, I'm pretty sure we're the only three people left in the game without an alliance." Sierra pointed out. "I think I already told Topher about this plan earlier, but what if the three of us teamed up."

"I dunno, I'm not really interested in an alliance." DJ replied. "I kinda just wanna do my own thing."

"I totally get it. You're one of my favourite contestants to blog about, by the way." Sierra said.

"Hey, Sierra, your offer about the two of us still stands, right?" Topher asked.

"You bet it does." Sierra replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I really need to be careful not to mess up this second chance I've been given." Topher remarked. "Because now that I'm back, I'm winning this show."

* * *

The camera panned over to the table occupied by Scott and Dave.

"You know what I'm realizing, no matter what we do, we just can't seem to get rid of Sky." Dave remarked.

"Don't worry, she's not gonna stick around forever." Scott said.

"I dunno, there's always the chance she can make it to the finale." Dave pointed out. "She did it before."

"Well, let's just make sure that doesn't happen then." Scott remarked. "As long as she doesn't win this time, we'll make sure she leaves."

"Great." Dave replied. "I'm _definitely_ looking forward to getting rid of her."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she feels the same." Scott joked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Not to sound overconfident, but I'm pretty sure I basically run the game." Scott bragged. "Dave listens to pretty much everything I say so now it's just a matter of eliminating all the other alliances. Yep, I pretty much own this game."

* * *

The camera switched over to Amy and Sky at their table together.

"Ugh, I can't believe Chris brought people back." Amy complained. "How much longer is this game gonna go on for?"

"C'mon Amy, it's not that bad." Sky told her.

"Yes it is that bad." Amy replied. "I just wanna take a shower at my own home and sleep in my own bed."

"Okay, but have you considered the million dollars?" Sky asked.

"All right... That is a pretty good motivator." Amy said. "Let's take down all these other losers and win the competition."

"Uh, yeah, that's the spirit." Sky replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'm not quite sure where I stand with Amy." Sky admitted. "She's too unpleasant for me to say that I like her. But at the same time, I know her too well to say I don't like her."

* * *

The camera panned to the final table which contained Lightning and Shawn.

"Man, I still can't believe you came back." Lightning remarked. "Totally wasn't exepecting that."

"Yeah, neither way I." Shawn admitted. "But here I am anyway."

"So what's the gameplan now that we're back together?" Lightning asked.

"I dunno, I kinda turned my strategic brain off after being eliminated." Shawn admitted. "I kinda need more time to get back into things."

"Fair enough." Lightning replied. "It prob'ly makes more sense to wait 'til the challenge is over before decidin' who to eliminate anyway."

"Speaking of challenges, when do you think this one's gonna start." Shawn asked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I know I'm known for being paranoid, but I'm seriously starting to think Chris has this place bugged." Shawn said. "Because right after I asked Lightning about the challenge-"

* * *

The scene switched over to a close-up shot of the film lot's loudspeakers.

"Attention contestants!" Chris cheered through the PA system. "Guess what time it is? That's right, challenge time. What a shocker. Anyway, get on down to the warehouse so this challenge can begin."

The scene changed to the inside of the warehouse with the contestants arriving as Chris and Chef looked over them.

"Welcome!" Chris cheered. "You two certainly look the opposite of excited today."

"Maybe if you made us some decent food once in a while we'd be feeling better." Scott remarked.

"Hey, at least it's healthy stuff." Chef argued.

"And the more you complain, the worse the food will get." Chris added.

"Can we just do the stupid challenge, please?" Amy requested, sounding annoyed.

"All right, fine. If you insist." Chris remarked. "You people clearly don't appreciate good banter."

"I do!" Topher cheered.

"Just get to the point." Dave requested.

"Very well." Chris said. "Today's challenge is based on the genre of spy films. You know, like James Bond and all that. You're going to be sent to a top secret facility where you need to steal a diamond. Whoever steals the diamond and successfully escapes first wins."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Lightning said.

"You know someone says that every time, and yet it never is." Chris pointed out. "Look, trust me, it's a whole lot more difficult than it sounds."

"Give us an example." Amy requested.

"You know what, just shut up and get into the virtual world." Chris told her. "That goes for the rest of you as well. C'mon, sit down!"

With the last three words Chris spoke seeming more forceful than usual, the contestants went to the chairs lining the room and sat down.

"Thank you." Chris said. "Chef, start it up."

Chef pressed a few buttons on the metal machine in the middle of the room.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: Coming back on the show is awesome!" Topher cheered. "Seriously, if that didn't happen I'd never get to pretend to be a spy."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants had been sent to different points around the location. First, Amy and Sky found themselves onboard a cargo ship that was docked in the middle of a blizzard. In the distance, a large high tech looking building was visible. The two girls were wearing parkas.

"Ugh, I'll never get used to being dropped into this world." Amy admitted. "Where are we?"

"Looks like we're on a boat." Sky replied. "I'm not quite sure where we're supposed to go from here though."

Sky looked at herself a noticed a digital watch on her wrist that she could have sworn wasn't there before.

"Hold up... What's this?" Sky wondered.

"It's just a stupid watch." Amy told her. "Let's focus on winning the challenge."

"Just give me a second..." Sky replied.

Sky pressed a small button on the side of the watch which caused a three-dimensional hologram to appear in front of them which appeared to display the building in the distance.

"What were you saying about this being a stupid watch?" Sky asked.

"Okay, fine, maybe it's a map." Amy remarked. "You get this one. C'mon, let's follow it."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Just once I'd like to hear Amy admit she's wrong about something." Sky said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were inside of a warehouse in the same port Amy and Sky's boat was docked in.

"So... What are we supposed to do now that we're here?" Dave asked.

"I think Chris mentioned something about stealing a diamond." Scott said. "So, if you were in a spy movie and had to steal a diamond where would you look?"

"I dunno, a big building with lots of lasers or something." Dave replied.

"Then that's exactly where we'll look." Scott told him. "Let's get outside first."

The two of them pushed through a door and were greeted by snow being blown in their face.

"Ah! I was _not_ expecting that!" Scott explained.

"I guess that explains the jackets." Dave remarked.

"All right, c'mon, let's find somewhere a diamond would be kept." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I've got this sinking feeling that something is going to go wrong." Dave explained. "I just feel like I've made it too far in the game without really doing anything."

* * *

Somewhere else on the port, Lightning and Shawn found themselves atop the roof of another building in the port with the high tech building from earlier in the distance.

"Sha-wow, it looks cold up here." Lightning remarked. "Good thing this ain't real otherwise I'd be freezin'."

"Okay, we're here. Now what're we supposed to do?" Shawn asked.

"Find those diamonds that we're supposed to steal. Ain't that obvious?" Lightning replied.

"Okay, but where are the diamonds." Shawn pointed out.

"Hmmm... Ya got me there." Lightning admitted. "Nope, I got nothin'. You?"

Shawn didn't respond and instead looked on out over the snowy landscape, his sights focused on the building in the distance.

"Well, I'm no spy expert but I'd say that thing's a good candidate." Shawn remarked.

"That sounds about right to me." Lightning agreed. "Let's check it out."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Lightning usually has good instincts." Lightning stated. "But, Shawn's weird apocalypse thingy gives him even better instincts. So I try to listen to him whenever I can."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside an open shipping container, Topher, Sierra, and DJ were becoming aware of their surroundings.

"Aw man, where are we?" DJ asked. "And why is it so bright outside?"

"Looks like snow. And a lot of it too." Sierra replied.

"Haha! This is awesome!" Topher cheered.

"You are way too excited sometimes." DJ said.

"Sorry, I just still can't believe I'm back on the show." Topher said. "C'mon, let's get out there."

Topher rushed out of the shipping container and out into the snow.

"Let's follow him." Sierra told DJ.

"Oh, do we have to?" DJ asked, sounding reluctant.

"No, I guess not. But you'd be on your own otherwise." Sierra said.

"Oh, never mind then." DJ said.

"Great, then let's go!" Sierra cheered.

The two of them exited the container and went after Topher.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I really hope DJ comes around to being in an alliance with me and Topher." Sierra said. "'Cause, you know, basic math dictates that'd make us the most powerful alliance."

* * *

Meanwhile, Amy and Sky were walking through the snowstorm towards the big building that was ever becoming closer.

"Ugh, of all the places you could keep diamonds, why here?" Amy wondered.

"Because they're hard to get here I guess." Sky said.

"I just hope this challenge is over soon." Amy remarked.

"Just try to enjoy yourself, okay." Sky told her.

"Ugh, don't tell me how to feel." Amy replied. "And by the way, if we're spys shouldn't we try to be more quiet?"

"All right, fine, that's actually a good point." Sky admitted.

"So hush up and follow me." Amy told her.

"Who says 'Hush up'?" Sky asked.

"Just go, okay." Amy said.

"All right, fine." Sky replied.

The two of them continued on through the snow, the port behind them disappearing in a flurry of white and the building in front of them becoming clearer.

"So, uh, what's the plan for when we get there?" Sky asked. "We can't exactly come in through the front door."

"Pfft, I know that, idiot." Amy remarked. "We'll have to like, climb the wall or something."

"Wow, very specific." Sky sarcastically replied.

"Oh, shut up." Amy said.

The two of them silently trekked through the snow a bit more. Both were stopped when they noticed an enormous, slick, stone wall right in front of them.

"Well... Guess we'd better get climbing." Sky remarked.

"Oh, dammit..." Amy trailed off.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I feel like Sky's been more annoyed at me lately." Amy remarked. "Am I just being paranoid or do I have an actual reason to be mad at her? Either way, I don't like it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning and Shawn had just left the port and were getting closer to the building.

"Spy movies are the coolest." Lightning remarked. "We get all the cool gadgets, get to punch people in the face, this is gonna be awesome!"

"Okay, don't get too excited." Shawn said. "We still need to focus."

"Right, yeah, let's do taht." Lightning replied.

The duo trudged through the snow until front gates where two guards stood became visible through the white haze.

"Okay, we're gonna have to get past those two somehow." Shawn told him. "Because something tells me they're not gonna let us in."

"They might." Lightning optimistically said.

"This is a spy film, sneaking arond is kind of the whole point." Shawn pointed out.

"Huh, good point. Do we have any of those cool spy gadgets?" Lightning asked.

"I dunno, I haven't really checked." Shawn admitted.

"Well, what're you waitin' for. We're wearin' pretty big jackets. Maybe we got something in there." Lightning said.

"Huh, that's a good idea." Shawn replied.

Shawn and Lightning both slightly unzipped their parkas and reached around inside of them.

"Sha-sweet, this feels like it might be cool." Lightning remarked.

Lightning pulled out a small handgun only filled up with darts instead of bullets.

"Aw man, it's only a dart gun." Lightning said.

"Hold on, we can use this." Shawn told him. "I probably have one of these too and we can take out both guards at once."

"Sweet, let's do it." Lightning said.

Shawn grabbed the dart gun from his jacket and he and Lightning crouched down in the snow, making sure they were obscured from the guards.

"And here we go." Shawn said. "Fire!"

The two of them shot off their dart guns at the guards. Each dart hit their intended targets and within seconds both of them had fallen unconscious in the snow.

"Sha-awesome!" Lightning cheered. "Let's get in there."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I know I've said it before, but it's almost kinda scary how well me and Lightning get along." Shawn said.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the snow, Scott and Dave had just reached the wall that separated them from the building housing the diamonds.

"Okay... So we made it." Dave remarked. "Now what do we do?"

"Well, step one is to somehow get in." Scott replied. "Step two is to steal the diamonds."

"Care to flesh either of those out more?" Dave sarcastically asked.

"I don't see you giving me any ideas." Scott said.

"Okay, fine. Let's put our heads together." Dave remarked. "Do we have like a grappling hook?"

"Why the hell would we have grappling hook?" Scott asked.

"We're spies aren't we?" Dave said. "That's like, standard for spies isn't it?"

"Okay good point, maybe it's like, I dunno, inside my jacket or something." Scott said.

Dave felt around at his outfit and grabbed a grappling gun off his belt.

"Awesome, let's do this." Dave remarked. "Uh... How do we use this."

"Here, give that to me." Scott said as he took the grappling gun out of Dave's hands. "It's not that hard all that you gotta do is aim and shoot. Granted, I don't know that for sure, but that just makes the most sense to me."

Scott pointed the grappling gun up at the top of the wall and pressed a button on it. A hook on a cable shot out of the gun and it got hooked on top of the wall.

"Okay, grab on to me." Scott said.

Dave nodded and grabbed on to Scott's hand. Scott pressed the button again and the cable retracted which pulled him and Dave up towards the top of the wall.

"Oh god, this is terrifying!" Dave screamed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"This alliance with Dave would be a whole lot better if he wasn't a wimp." Scott remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, DJ, Sierra, and Topher had yet to leave the docks and were wandering around a maze of shipping containers.

"Do you guys know where we're going?" DJ asked.

"Not at all." Sierra admitted.

"I do. Y'know, kinda." Topher said.

"So in other words, you don't know." DJ said.

"Y-yeah, pretty much." Topher confessed. "This dock is like a maze in my defense."

"Maybe we can get a better view if we climb these shipping containers." Sierra suggested.

"Huh, not a half bad idea." Topher agreed. "Let's do it!"

"Aw, do we have to?" DJ asked.

"Well, me and Sierra are gonna." Topher said.

"Well... I don't wanna be left alone..." DJ trailed off.

"Great, than follow us." Sierra said.

Sierra, Topher, and DJ began climbing up the shipping containers until they reached the highest point possible. Once they made it to the top, the three of them looked out over the snowy landscape and got a perfect view of almost everything.

"All right, now we know what we're doing." Topher remarked. "C'mon gang, let's go!"

"Hold on, when did the three of us become a group?" DJ asked.

"Just go with it." Sierra told him.

"Yeah, this is gonna be totally fun!" Topher cheered. "Now, as I was saying, let's go gang!"

Topher took a step forward but, seeming to forget where he was, went straight off the edge of the container and fell all the way to the ground with a loud thud.

"Wow, that first step is a doozy!" Topher shouted up from the ground.

"Uh, are you okay?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Topher shouted back.

"We'll be right down!" Sierra cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I don't know how I got stuck with those two but I really wish I was unstuck." DJ said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Amy and Sky had somehow made it over the wall and were now inside the perimeter of the high tech facility and had gotten closer to the building itself.

"Well, climbing that wall was hell on earth." Amy remarked. "Now what do we do?"

"Break in." Sky said.

"I thought we already did that." Amy remarked.

"I mean break in even more." Sky told her. "As in get the diamonds we're supposed to steal or whatever Chris said."

"Oh, right, that." Amy said. "Okay, fine, let's go do that now."

"Great, so here's what I'm thinking." Sky began. "We get through a window and just make our way to the center of the building."

"Why the center?" Amy asked.

"I dunno, seems like the place that'd best fit a spy movie." Sky suggested. "Now c'mon, help me out."

The two of the approached the building and got up to one of the windows.

"So should I just smash through this?" Amy asked.

"No, we're supposed to be spies. We need to be subtle." Sky told her. "You know those weird glass cutter thingies spies use? Let's see if we have those."

Amy nodded and began to feel around inside her parka.

"Let's see..." Amy trailed off. "Oh, this feels about right."

Amy took a big metal circle out of the jacket and approached the window with it. She brought it over to the window and the device attached itself.

"Uh... Now what?" Amy asked.

"Here let me try." Sky suggested.

Sky grabbed the circle and pulled it away from the window. As the device pulled away, it brought a circle of glass away with it.

"Yes! We did it!" Sky cheered.

"Uh, now what?" Amy asked.

"We're both kinda small, we can fit through the hole." Sky suggested.

"Well... It's better than nothing." Sky remarked

* * *

 **(Confessional:** **Amy)**

"I really enjoy being the smartest person in the room. But when Sky has a good idea, I guess I kinda have to acknowledge it." Amy remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn and Lightning had begun cautiously wandering around the sleek metal halls of the facility.

"Man, this is so awesome." Lightning remarked. "I feel like a real spy."

"Shh! Be quiet." Shawn shushed him. "We need to be stealthy about it."

"Right, right, stealthy." Lightning remarked. "How do we do that?"

"I don't know. Usually, zombie fighting tactics are up front and loud." Shawn admitted.

"How about we crawl through the air ducts?" Lightning suggested. "I'm always seein' 'em do that in the movies."

"Could work." Shawn said. "Thinks there's enough room for us though?"

"Why not, if it always works in the movies, it'll work for us." Lightning stated. "C'mon, let's find a vent and get in it."

The two of them went further down the hall in search of an air duct.

"Hey, Shawn, I see it!" Lightning cheered.

"Shh! Remember, we're not supposed to be... Wherever this is." Shawn told him.

"Right, sorry again." Lightning apologized. "Anyway, I was tryin' to say that I see the air vent."

Lightning pointed up at the an air duct above their heads.

"So... How are we s'posed to get up there?" Shawn asked.

"I'll give ya a boost and you can pull me up." Lightning suggested.

"Okay, let's go with that." Shawn agreed. "Help me up."

Lightning nodded, grabbed Shawn around the waist, and lifted him up towards the air vent.

"Wow, you are weirdly strong." Shawn remarked.

"Sha-thanks." Lightning said.

Shawn removed the covering from the air duct and climbed inside.

"Okay, help me up now." Lightning told him.

"Y-yeah, right." Shawn nervously replied.

Shawn extended his arms to Lightning who grabbed on to them and attempted to pull himself up. Shawn's face strained as this happened.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"It's a good thing I can't feel pain in the virtual world." Shawn remarked. "Because if I could, I wouldn't ever be able to use my arms again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Dave and Scott were in the middle of an argument near the base of the facility.

"I don't wanna use the grappling hook again." Dave stated.

"Oh come on, it's the fastest way." Scott argued. "We can get from here to the third floor of this building in under a minute if we use the grappling gun."

"But it was also extremely, extremely terrifying if you recall." Dave said.

"Do you want Sky to win?" Scott asked.

Dave paused for a second and stared up at Scott in thought.

"I guess not." Dave admitted.

"In that case, let's use the grappling gun." Scott told him.

"All right, fine." Dave agreed. "If it means beating Sky, I'm all for it. Just try to hold on tighter next time."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Scott said.

Scott took out the grappling gun from before and aimed it up at a window high above them. He shot the gun and the metal hook went through the window and managed to attach itself.

"Okay, here we go." Scott told Dave. "Grab on to me again."

"Oh boy... This is not gonna be fun." Dave said.

"Don't be such a wuss." Scott replied. "Now here we go."

Scott pressed the button on the grappling hook again and began retracting. It began to pull the two of them up through the window.

"I still hate this!" Dave exclaimed.

"Shut up..." Scott grumbled.

The two of them crashed through the window together into an empty room that appeared to be someone's office. Scott somehow managed to land on his feet while Dave faceplanted on the ground.

"See, told you it was fast." Scott said.

"Please help me up..." Dave mumbled. "I may not be able to feel pain but I can feel dizzy."

"Oh, just walk it off." Scott told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"You know, sometimes I'm not able to tell if Scott likes me or not." Dave remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Topher, DJ, and Sierra had just approached the front gates only to find that the two guards on duty were in fact unconscious.

"Whoa, what do you think happened here?" DJ wondered.

"Clearly, somone beat us to here." Topher stated. "But we're gonna catch up soon so it doesn't matter."

"Yay, this is gonna be great." Sierra said. "C'mon, let's hurry."

"Why are we always hurrying?" DJ asked.

"'Cause we wanna win, obviously." Sierra said. "Now let's go!"

Sierra rushed towards the front doors with Topher and DJ following close behind. Rather reluctantly in DJ's case.

"How did I even get roped into this thing?" DJ wondered.

"No time to think about it, just try to enjoy it." Topher advised him.

"Easy for you to say..." DJ muttered them.

The trio pushed through the doors and found themselves inside of an empty futuristic hallway.

"Ooh, this pace is pretty nice." Sierra remarked.

"Does anyone know what we're supposed to do from here?" DJ asked.

"Why do you have so many questions about everything?" Topher said.

"Because I like being safe." DJ stated. "Is that too much to ask for?"

"Okay, fair enough." Topher replied. "Anyway, I have no idea what we're supposed to do."

"C'mon, let's just look around." Sierra said.

Sierra began quickly walking down the hallway with the other two scurrying along behind her.

"Why is she always running?" DJ asked.

"I guess it gets us around better." Topher remarked.

Sierra and the other two turned a corner only to see a duo of guards.

"Uh oh..." Sierra trailed off.

"Hey! Trespassers! Stop right there!" One of the guards shouted.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Heh, maybe I _should_ be more careful." Sierra admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Amy and Sky were busy wandering through the hall of another part of the facility.

"How much longer 'til we get there?" Amy asked. "I'm getting bored."

"Just be patient and the challenge will be over soon." Sky replied.

"Ugh, but I'm like, really impatient. All the time." Amy told her.

"Look, please just stop talking and follow me." Sky said.

"Fine..." Amy grumbled.

Sky pushed through a door on the side of the hallway and found herself in a much smaller hallway.

"Huh, this looks promising." Sky remarked.

"Ugh, it's kinda cramped in here. Can we go somewhere else?" Amy requested.

"No, I've got a good feeling about this." Sky said. "Just follow me."

"Fine, but if you're wrong I get to be leader." Amy told her.

"All right, sure. Now just please follow me." Sky said.

Sky and Amy continued down the hall together. They reached the door at the other end and Sky opened it. On the other side of the door was exactly what they were looking for. A big circular room with a diamond in the centre of it. The only problem was the grid of lasers on the floor.

"Jackpot." Amy remarked.

Amy took a step forward but was stopped when Sky grabbed her wrist.

"Ugh, what's the matter?" Amy annoyedly asked.

"Look at the lasers, setting those off would trigger the alarm." Sky told her. "Uh, at least that's what I think."

"Okay, fine. If you're so smart then how do we get past the lasers?" Amy asked.

"Well, I'm a gymnast and pretty flexible. So, I feel like I can get past them no problem." Sky stated.

"You know what, I'm all for that idea. The less I have to do, the better." Amy remarked. "You go out there and get them."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Even when she's trying to encourage me I don't really like her." Sky said.

* * *

Sky began to duck, step over, and bend herself through the lasers as she got closer and closer to the diamond.

"Okay Sky, you got this." Sky told herself. "This is easy... Yeah, easy..."

She got close enough to the diamond's display case to touch it if she leaned forward enough.

"Stop taking so long!" Amy shouted out to her partner.

"This is harder than it looks, okay." Sky replied. "So please just let me focus here."

"Fine, but try to hurry." Amy said.

Sky nodded and took a few steps closer to the diamond. Before she could even touch the diplay case, the door on the other side of the room swung open and Lightning barged through followed by Shawn. Lightning ran straight into several lasers and caused a loud series of beeps to go off in the room and the lights to start flashing red.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Sky trailed off.

"Sha-bam! Made it!" Lightning cheered. "Huh? What's with all the lights and loud noises?"

"Uh... I think you might've triggered some kind of alarm system." Shawn told him.

Amy stormed over to Shawn and Lightning.

"You idiots! You ruined everything!" Amy raged.

"Uh, okay, calm down Amy." Sky told her.

"Calm?! They ruined everything!" Amy shouted. "Ugh, how can this get any worse?"

Another door in the room opened up and Scott and Dave rushed into the room only to stop upon seeing the situation that had unfolded.

"Oh come on! Serously?!" Amy yelled.

"Uh... What's going on here?" Dave asked.

"I was about to ask the same thing." Scott admitted.

"I swear, if anyone else comes in here..." Amy said.

Another door swung open and Topher, Sierra, and DJ entered the room followed by a small group of guards.

"Woo! Found the diamond!" Sierra cheered.

"Looks like everyone else did as well." DJ remarked.

"All right, nobody move!" One of the guards exclaimed. "All of you are trespassing on private property!"

"Look, we just wanna take this diamond to a nice, new, safe home." Scott said. "Is that too much to ask for?"

There was a long uneasy silence between all parties involved.

"If you don't come quietly, we will use force." The guard said. "Do you want that?"

"Pfft, like you'd actually do it." Topher remarked.

The guard took a pistol off his belt and fired it in the general direction of the contestants. It didn't hit anyone but did hit the diamond display case, shattering it completely.

"Okay, okay, you're serious..." Topher nervously began to back away.

"Now come quietely, we mean buesinees." The guard told them.

"Yeah, but, we gotcha outnumbered don't we?" Lightning pointed out.

"But not all of us wanna fight..." Dave nervously trailed off.

"Don't be a coward, we can take 'em." Scott said.

"Okay boys, time to use force." The guard told his partners.

The guards opened fire on the contestants who all managed to jump out of the way just in time. All that ended up being damaged were the walls of the room. The contestants had retreated to the small hallways in the side of the room.

"Uh, so, how are we supposed to get the diamond now?" Dave asked.

"Well, it's probably just a matter of going fast enough." Scott said.

"I don't think anyone's fast enough to dodge bullets." Amy remarked.

"Ah jeez, really? You two followed us in here?" Scott asked.

"Most people don't like getting shot at, idiot." Amy told him.

"Are we really going to bicker?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, looks like it." Scott said.

"Jesus, okay, I'm just gonna go for it." Sky decided. "Wish me luck."

Sky crouched down low and ran towards the podium with the diamonds on them. Once Sky made it to the podium, she found that Topher had also somehow made it to behind thre.

"What the- How did you..." Sky trailed off in confusion.

"Oh, I just stayed behind here when they started firing." Topher explained.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll just be taking these diamonds and leaving." Sky said.

"Not if I can help it." Topher replied.

Topher reached up and quickly grabbed the diamond off its pedestal.

"Hey!" Sky exclaimed. "Give that back!"

"Sorry, but I've gotta run." Topher said.

Topher made a crouching run for the door behind him, hoping he wouldn't get shot.

"Get back here!" Sky exclaimed.

Sky ran after Topher and the two of them left the room.

"Okay, all that's left is to leave and then I win." Topher told himself.

"Hey! Stop running!" Sky shouted after him.

Upon hearing this, Topher made the decision to run faster.

"Sorry, you're not catching me!" Topher cheered.

Topher turned a corner and saw more guards in front of him.

"Hey! You! Stop!" One of the guards yelled.

"Oh crap..." Topher trailed off. "I'll leave you guys alone then."

Topher turned back around as the guards opened fire and saw he was running straight at Sky.

"Hey, Sky. You might wanna run away." Topher casually told her. "Y'know, guards and stuff."

"Wait, what?" Sky asked before looking ahead and seeing the guards. "Uh oh..."

Sky turned around and began running in the same direction as Topher. As they ran, Topher desperately searched for an exit. Unfortunately for him, nothing seemed to be coming up. There were no doors in the hall but to the right of him was a line of windows.

"I have an idea." Topher said to nobody specific. "Not a good one, but I'm gonna try it..."

Topher ran faster and very suddenly jumped to the side and through the window. He landed outside in a pile of snow and glass, diamond still gripped tightly in hand.

"Oh god... Why did I think this was a good idea..." Topher trailed off. "Please tell me this counts as escaping..."

Suddenly, Topher began to glow in a white light.

"Ha! Yes! It counts!" Topher cheered. "Thank god."

After the light flashed, Topher disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Ha! Talk about a comeback. Not only do I get to return, but I also win the second challenge." Topher said.

* * *

Back in the real world, all the contestants' helmets came off and they were put back into reality.

"And welcome back!" Chris cheered. "How was you spy adventure."

"Do you ever shut up?" Scott asked.

"Nope, not very much." Chris said.

"I'm confused, who won?" DJ asked.

"Me!" Topher cheered. "It was me."

"He can't be serious, right?" Dave asked.

"Nope, he's serious." Chris said. "So, you know, you can't vote for Topher. But you all get to have a meal from Chef and then vote for each other later. So hopefully that's a consolation."

A little while later, Lightning and Shawn had gathered inside the boys' trailer to discuss strategy. Lightning was casually leaned up against the wall with Shawn in front of him.

"So what's the plan, man?" Lightning asked. "Who do ya think the best person to vote off is? Y'know, I got a few ideas of my own too."

"Well, I think the obvious choice is Sierra." Shawn explained.

"Huh? The kooky fangirl?" Lightning confusedly asked. "Why her?"

"I've got a feeling she's smarter than she lets on." Shawn told him. "She's made it past the merge without doing very much."

"That's funny, I was gonna say we should vote for Dave for the same reason." Lightning remarked.

"Oh really?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, dude doesn't look like he's done much but he's also made it this far." Lightning explained. "So, I say we vote for him."

"Well, we're going to have to decide between these two." Shawn pointed out.

"Nah, I got a better idea. Let's just go in the confessional and see what happens." Lightning said.

"Wait, what?" Shawn asked.

"See ya." Lightning exited the trailer, leaving Shawn very confused.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"One of the downsides to an alliance with Lightning is that he kinda just does what he feels like sometimes." Shawn said.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the girls' trailer, Amy and Sky were having a similar conversation.

"Okay, so, let's go over this quickly because I'm hungry and want to eat Chef's food while it's still not cold." Amy said. "Do you want to vote out that stupid ex-boyfriend of yours or not?"

"I definitely do." Sky said.

"Great." Amy replied. "Now let's-"

"But, strategically speaking it'd be best to go for someone like Shawn." Sky continued.

"Well, which one is it then?" Amy asked. "I don't have all day here."

"Hmm... I don't know." Sky said.

"Y'know what, I'm picking for you. It's Shawn." Amy told her.

"Wait." Sky said. "If you'd just give me a moment I'd-"

"Nope, not happening." Amy replied. "I'm hungry. Now c'mon, let's go get some of Chef's slop."

Amy exited the room, grabbing Sky's wrist and leading her out as well.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I feel like a broken record but, god. Amy's just the worst sometimes." Sky remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dave and Scott were wandering through one of the many empty warehouses.

"All right, so walk me through this again." Dave said. "We're not voting for Sky this time because..."

"Because I was doing some thinking and figured there were better options." Scott explained.

"What kind of options?" Dave asked.

"Easy, Sierra." Scott stated.

"Huh? Sierra? I mean, she annoys me a little but I don't think she's a threat to the game." Dave remarked.

"That's exactly my point." Scott said. "She knows everything about how Total Drama works but she's just been sitting in the background for the most part. If we don't stop her now, all the alliances are gonna destroy each other and she's gonna make it to the finale."

"Huh, that's actually a good point." Dave admitted. "Okay, voting for Sierra it is then."

"Great, glad you could see things my way."

The scene switched over to the cafeteria where DJ, Topher, and Sierra were the only ones eating.

"Wow, it is empty in here." DJ noticed.

"I told you we were the only ones not in an alliance." Sierra said. "That's why we should totally form one."

"Y'know, I've been giving that some serious thought." Topher admitted.

"I'm not so sure..." DJ nervously trailed off.

"Aw please, I even got a plan for who to vote for and everything." Sierra said.

"Really? What's the plan?" DJ asked.

"I wanna vote for Dave. I figure it'd be best to break up the other allainces and he seems pretty expendable." Sierra explained.

"Good plan." Topher remarked. "I'll definitely consider it."

"I'm not so sure..." DJ trailed off.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"Is it too much to ask to _not_ be part of an alliance?" DJ wondered. "Seriously, I just want people to leave me alone."

* * *

A little while later, all the contestants had gathered at the usually spot for the ceremony. The contestants were in the bleachers and Chris was on stage.

"And welcome to yet another one of these elimination ceremonies!" Chris announced. "I hope you liked today's challenge 'casue-"

"Oh my god, shut up." Amy interrupted.

"Hey!" Chris yelled "No interrupting the host."

"We know what you're going to say." Amy stated.

"Well, I'm in charge here and I say no interrupting." Chris said.

"Ugh, forget it. I'm just gonna go wait outside the confessional." Amy stated.

"Oh no you don't." Chris said. "Everyone go vote! And make sure Amy gets in there last!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ held a crossed out photo of Dave to the camera.

"I don't know who to vote for. So I'm just gonna go for Sierra's suggestion." DJ said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a picture of Sierra.

"See you later, Sierra." Scott remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew over a photograph of Shawn.

"To be honest, I'm only doing this to make sure Amy does hate me." Sky admitted.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

"I don't actually know who to vote for." Topher remarked. "I mean, Sierra's plan makes sense. But... She's actually really smart. And I can't have anyone smarter than me in the game. Hmmm... Tough call."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over one of Sierra's photographs.

"Lightning had better be voting for the same person as me." Shawn commented.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave showed a crossed out photo of Sierra to the camera.

"Not my first choice, but I definitely see Scott's logic." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning held a crossed out photo of Dave to the camera.

"Shawn had better be voting for the same person as me." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra showed drawn over picture of Dave to the camera.

"Sorry Dave, nothing against you. I wanna win as much as you do." Sierra said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy drew an X over one of Shawn's photographs.

"First off, I can't believe I'm actually going last." Amy remarked. "Second off, goodbye Shawn."

* * *

The scene changed back to the stage with Chris climbing back on it.

"First off, I'd like to thank everyone for making Amy vote last back there." Chris said. "Let that be a lesson to anyone else who interrupts me."

"Get to the votes." Scott told him.

"Okay, everyone, make sure Scott goes last next time." Chris told the other contestants. "Anyway, on to the votes. Obviously, Topher couldn't be voted against. But let's go over everyone else who got no votes. DJ, Amy, Lightning, Sky, and Scott! You're all safe!"

Chris tossed all the mentioned contestants, including Topher, their awards.

"Okay, Shawn, Sierra, Dave, I'm going to give out another award. One of you has enough votes to justify not being in the bottom two." Chris said. "And this next award goes to... Shawn!"

Shawn caught the Gilded Chris Award that was thrown to him.

"And now, we're down to Dave and Sierra." Chris remarked. "I've got one more Gilded Chris Award left and it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Neither of you! This was a non-elimination episode!"

"Wait, what?!" Sierra exclaimed.

"But for the record, Sierra would've been eliminated if we were doing an elimination." Chris continued.

"I'm gonna say it again." Sierra said. "Wait, what?!"

"If you weren't doing an elimination what was even the point of this?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, it really feels like you're wasting our time." Scott agreed.

"I'm the host, I do whatever I want." Chris said. "Now, you can go back to your trailers and think about who you'll _really_ vote for next time. Have a good night."

"You're the worst." Amy remarked.

Slowly, the contestants filed out of the bleachers and the camera focused in on Chris.

"Well folks, nobody was eliminated. But mark my words, it'll happen next time." Chris stated. "So, stick around. Because you never know what'll happen next one, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Shawn, Topher, DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Amy, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: Sierra

Dave: Sierra

Lightning: Dave

Shawn: Sierra

Amy: Shawn

Sky: Shawn

Sierra: Dave

Topher: Sierra

DJ: Dave

 **Results:**

Sierra: 4 votes (Cancelled by non-elimination episode)

Dave: 3 votes

Shawn: 2 votes

* * *

 **Yep, it was a non-elimination chapter. I hope that wasn't too anticlimactic for you all. Don't worry though, there should be more actual eliminations soon. Admittedly, I haven't seen many spy films. I've seen about two Connery era James Bond movies but that's it. But hopefully, I did a satisfactory job on this chapter. Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading.**


	18. Drama Noir

**Merry Christmas I guess. I didn't mean for this story to be updated on Christmas Eve that's kind of just how things worked out. Anyway, I've got a new chapter now and I hope you guys like it. But before I do anything else, let's get to the reviews.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** I didn't do a Christmas challenge. I tried to though but nothing came to me. By the way, I actually really like your idea for the final challenge and I'm probably going to end up using it.

 **Anyway, that covers everything. So please enjoy the rest of this story.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. We sent our contestants on an adventure worthy of secret agents. Turns out, most of them suck at being spies. In the end, Topher won… I don't know how either. But it really didn't matter. Because even though it looked like Sierra was gonna be eliminated, I announced that it was an elimination challenge. Why you ask? I'm in charge, I don't need reasons. That's why. But don't worry, someone's going home tonight. So stick around for, Total. Drama. Champions."

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

As had become routine, the contestants remaining in the show had gathered in the cafeteria for some breakfast. This time, it was cold pancakes. Surprisingly, this was a step up from what Chef usually made. As was also routine, all the contestants broke off into tables based on their alliances. The camera focused in on a table that contained DJ, Sierra, and Topher. All three of them tried to eat their breakfast.

"Wow, it still feels good it be the winner." Topher bragged. "Uh, even if it didn't end up mattering."

"I'm still surprised I would've been eliminated." Sierra commented. "I mean, have I done anything to deserve that?"

"Well, you're a little quirky but I think you're all right." DJ told her.

"Aw, thanks." Sierra said. "Okay, so like, I know I keep repeating this. But are the three of us in an alliance?"

"Looks like it." Topher said. "And I've got no complaints."

"Yeah, I guess it kinda just happened." DJ remarked. "Don't know how, but it did. I'm just gonna go with it, honestly."

"Yay! It's so good to be included in something." Sierra said. "Trust me guys, the three of us are gonna go far."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I don't know whether to go with Sierra or not." Topher said. "'Cause the thing is, she might be smarter than me. And being close to someone who's smarter than me probably isn't a good idea."

* * *

The camera moved over to the table featuring Dave and Scott.

"I'm gonna be honest, I'm a little miffed that the entire last challenge was pointless." Dave said.

"I'll say, what was even the point of making us vote?" Scott wondered.

"I know I keep insisting, but this time can we please vote for Sky?" Dave asked.

"If nothing better comes up, sure." Scott said.

"Great." Dave replied. "Glad we could agree on something."

The two of them ate their cold pancakes in silence for a moment.

"Hey Scott, what do you think our chances in the game are?" Dave wondered.

"It's best not to think about it too much." Scott replied.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"This whole thing I got with Dave, don't think it's working out too well." Scott admitted. "It sounded good at the start but I kinda feel like we're going in circles. But I've made it this far and it's too late to back out."

* * *

The camera cut to a different table. This time it was the one Lightning and Shawn were seated at.

"I don't what you're complaining about." Shawn said. "These pancakes aren't half bad."

"Are you serious, dude?" Lightning asked.

"I like to eat lots of canned food. Y'know, to get ready for the apocalypse. So I guess anything this solid is basically a gourmet meal for me." Shawn explained.

"Well, for everyone else this stuff's gross." Lightning told him.

"Yeah, I get it." Shawn replied.

"Let's just talk 'bout something else." Lightning said. "Do ya think Chris would pull a non-elimination on us twice in a row? 'Cause if he does I'd be so mad."

"I don't think he'd do that." Shawn replied. "I'm sure he _wants_ to. Y'know, just to mess with us. But to keep things moving along he wouldn't."

"That's good to hear." Lightning remarked. "'Cause lemme tell ya, we're gonna win this time."

"I sure hope we do." Shawn said.

The camera panned over to the last table. This one being the one with Amy and Sky at it.

"So, Amy, how's breakfast?" Sky asked.

"Terrible." Amy bluntly replied.

"Wow, you don't sound like you're in a good mood." Sky said.

"Great detective work there, genius." Amy sarcastically remarked.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll back off." Sky said.

"Thank you, god. I'm just super upset about the non-elimination." Amy explained. "It feels weirdly good to get someone I don't like kicked out."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get that this time." Sky replied.

The camera cut to a close up of the film lot's loud speaker system.

"Hey everybody!" Chris cheered through the PA system. "Time to do that old song and dance again. That's right, hoof it on down to the warehouse and we can get another challenge started. And make it quick, I don't like waiting around."

The scene changed over to the contestants arriving at the warehouse that housed the virtual reality equipment where Chris was already waiting.

"Ah, welcome!" Chris cheered. "Are you all feeling rested and well?"

"Shut up." Amy told him.

"Taking that as a no." Chris said. "Anyway, let's get straight to business."

"Thank god." Scott remarked. "No waiting around talking about nothing."

"Oh, well, we can do that too if ya like." Chris said.

"Oh god, I regret saying that." Scott realized.

"Just kiddin, I don't really feel like doing that right now." Chris said. "Although if you keep testing me like that, I just might."

"Please just get to the part with the challenge." Sky requested.

"Okay, fine." Chris said. "Today's challenge is based on the ever so classic genre of film noir."

"What's that mean?" Dave asked.

"Glad you asked." Chris replied. "It's a very specific type of detective movie. The kind of detective movie with alcoholic tough guys wearing trenchcoats starring opposite long haired night club singers. And usually gangsters are involved somewhere."

"So how do you make a challenge out of that?" Scott asked.

"I was just about to get to that part." Chris stated. "You all will be in the role of a detective who has been tasked with the job of stopping a mob boss from getting out of the city. Now, just for added fun, this mob boss will be played by none other than our very own Chef Hatchet. Come on out, Chef!"

Chef entered the warehouse wearing a tight purple formal suit and matching fedora hat.

"Why do I gotta wear this?" Chef asked.

"I told you, you're supposed to be in the mafia." Chris said.

"Yeah, but it's gonna be all virtual." Chef pointed out.

"Okay, fine, I just wanted to make you dress up for the fun of it." Chris admitted. "But anyway, he's gonna be serving as the gangster you're all after. So good luck stopping him."

"Is that all?" Sierra asked.

"Yep, sure is." Chris said. "So get into that virtual world and have fun!"

All the contestants, and also Chef went over to the chairs around the room and sat down. Chris went over to the machine in the middle of the room and pressed a few buttons on it.

"And that should do it." Chris said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I was pretty sure I'd win this challenge." Lightning stated. "I mean, I won the first detective challenge, didn't I?"

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants found themselves in the same spot. It was behind the counter at a small dive bar. Everything around them was dark and dingy. Each of the contestants was lined up along the counter and seated on barstools.

"Whoa, where are we?" DJ wondered. "Wherever it is, I don't think I like it."

"Some kind of tavern." Scott said. "All the detectives in these movies were alcoholics. So I guess it makes sense."

"So, um, anyone know what we're supposed to do from here?" Topher wondered. "This all seems kinda open ended."

"I think that's the whole point." Sky said. "I mean, this is a detective film. We're supposed to find Chef on our own?"

"Did you say Chef?" A gruff male voice from out of all the contestants' view asked. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while."

Collectively, all the contestants turned towards the source of the voice. They saw an older man with a thick moustache and scar over his left eye sitting at a table in the corner.

"Should we talk to that guy?" Shawn whispered to his partner.

"Sha-totally." Lightning replied. "Guy clearly knows stuff. C'mon, let's check it out."

Lightning got down from his barstool and approached the man. The rest of the competitors followed his example and crowded around the table.

"Huh? When'd I get so popular?" The man asked, sounding legitimately confused.

"We heard you mentioned Chef." Amy explained.

"Oh…" The man trailed off, beginning to sweat. "Musta been someone else. Look, I don't mess with the mob. Not that I think Mr. Hatchet is in the mob. He's a legitimate businessman."

"Uh, we're not with the mafia." Dave said.

"Yeah, we're actually detective." Sierra continued. "We fight those guys. It's super fun."

"I don't know if I can trust you. I mean, you all look like yer in the mob. What with the whole, ominously coming up to me and asking questions thing." The man said.

"We're trying to find Chef before he escapes the country." Scott told him. "And if you don't help us, we'll do it on our own."

"We will?" Dave asked.

"Shut up, I'm trying to get this guy on our side." Scott whispered to his partner.

"Huh? How?" Dave whispered back.

"Just shut up, okay. I had a thing going and you're interrupting me." Scott said.

"What are you all talking about?" The man asked.

"Just tell us what you know about Chef, please." Topher requested. "We're trustworthy people."

"L-listen, I haven't talked to the guy in years." The man stated. "But I'll tell you two things. One, the man's an upstanding gentleman and a legitimate businessman."

"And the real thing is?" Amy asked.

"The guy bought his own private train. So if he wanted to leave the country, that's how he'd do it." The man explained.

"That's all we needed." Sky said. "Thanks."

"And if anyone asks, you never saw me." The man told them.

"Thank you." Sierra replied.

All the contestants walked away from the table and out of the bar.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"That guy was weird." Amy said. "I know nothing about 'Film Noir' or whatever it's called. But I think this challenge made me very, very uninterested in it."

* * *

A little bit later, all the contestants had left the dive bar and split off into their own smaller groups. The scene focused on Amy and Sky walking through a dark, dreary backally together.

"Okay, so remind me again where we're going?" Amy asked.

"The trainyard, obviously." Sky said.

"I know that. But how's cutting through here going to get us there." Amy said.

"Oh, that's easy. I figured if we cut over to a more crowded street we'd be able to call a taxi that'd be able to take us there." Sky explained.

"All right, fine. That's sound logic." Amy replied.

The two of them exited the alley and saw a parked taxi cab.

"There we go." Sky said. "C'mon, let's do this."

The duo went over tot he taxi and Sky waved at the driver. The driver smiled back and gave her a thumbs up. Amy and Sky entered the back of the taxi together.

"Hey, mind taking us over to the local trainyard?" Sky asked.

"You got it, lady." The cabbie replied. "This should only take 'bout ten minutes."

"Great, thanks a lot." Sky said.

The taxi began to move down the street.

"So Sky, have we talked about who to vote for when we win?" Amy asked.

"You mean _if_ we win, right?" Sky replied.

"Oh, I'm very confident about this." Amy stated. "Trust me, one of us will win."

"Let's save this conversation 'til after the challenge." Sky said.

"Fine..." Amy trailed off, sounding a little angry.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Ugh, for once this season I'd just like to have a conversation with someone who's a complete pushover." Amy said. "Is that too much to ask?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were walking down the street in another part of the city.

"So do you have any idea how to find this trainyard?" Dave asked.

"I don't. But I've got a few ideas." Scott said.

"Like what?" Dave asked.

"We look for anyone who looks suspicious then we follow them." Scott explained. "If we're using movie logic, following mobsters should lead us to Chef."

"All right, that makes sense." Dave said. "But how do we find these mafia guys?"

"Look for shifty looking guys in really nice suits." Scott told him. "That should help."

"Okay, thanks for the tip." Dave said. "I'll keep my eyes peeled."

The two of them continued on down the streets but failed to notice anything intresting for several blocks. But, after a couple minutes, Dave saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop.

"Psst, Scott, look there." Dave tapped Scott on the shoulder causing him to stop as well.

Dave pointed across the street to a trio of burly men in fine Italian made suits and fedoras talking in an alleyway together. All three were smoking.

"Do those guys look like gangsters to you?" Dave asked.

"Well, I've never seen one in real life, but they look good enough." Scott remarked. "Looks like we hit jackpot."

"So, uh, how do we follow these guys without getting chopped up and thrown into the river?" Dave asked.

"Simple, we do it very carefully." Scott said.

"You make it sound so easy..." Dave nervously trailed off.

"Oh calm down, it'll be fine." Scott stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I don't know where Scott gets all his confidence, but I want some of it." Dave said.

* * *

Meanwhile, DJ, Sierra, and Topher were walking together down the street in another part of the city.

"This is so cool, right guys?" Sierra remarked.

"You say that about everything." DJ pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but like, there's a lot of cool stuff." Sierra said.

"She's got you there." Topher half-jokingly said.

"Do either of you know what to do?" DJ asked. "'Cause I've been following you and I don't feel like we've gotten anything done."

"I'm figuring it out as I go." Sierra remarked.

"Yeah, me too." Topher said.

"You two don't exactly fill me with confidence." DJ stated.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out." Sierra told him.

"That still doesn't help." DJ remarked.

Just then, a shiny jet black car that looked very expensive drove past them.

"Whoa, that is a _nice_ car." Topher remarked. "One day I'm gonna own a vintage like that. Well, I guess if this is supposed to be Film Noir this thing isn't vintage yet."

"Hmm, that car probably costs a lot." Sierra realized. "The kind of money only crime can afford..."

"Are you saying we should follow it?" DJ asked.

"You bet that's what I'm saying!" Sierra cheered.

Sierra saw a nearby taxi cab.

"Hey! Taxi!" Sierra waved to the cab.

The vehicle stopped and pulled up to the three of them. DJ, Topher, and Sierra all piled in to the back seat of the taxi.

"Follow that car!" Sierra cheered as she pointed straight ahead at the expensive black car that had passed them.

"You got it, lady." The driver replied and sped off after the car.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I always wanted to say that." Sierra admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning and Shawn were in another different part of the city walking down the sidewalk.

"So what's the strategy?" Lightning asked. "We gotta find the train, right? How are we gonna do that?"

"I'm thinking. Most of my expertise is zombie related." Shawn admitted. "So I don't really know that much about tracking gangsters."

"So what you're sayin' is that you have no idea what you're supposed to do?" Lightning asked.

"No I'm trying to come up with something." Shawn said. "But if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them."

"Hmmm... I think I got something." Lightning said.

"All right, let's hear it then." Shawn remarked.

"Right, so, it's actually a really easy plan." Lightning began. "All we gotta do is find a taxi and ask where to find trains."

"Oh... Why didn't I think of that?" Shawn wondered.

"So we gonna do it or what?" Lightning asked.

"You bet we are." Shawn told him. "C'mon, let's find a taxi."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I still feel really silly for not thinking of that." Shawn admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sky and Amy were riding around inside their taxi cab.

"Hey, are we there yet?" Amy asked. "I'm getting bored."

"Lady, relax, we're almost there. If you keep talkin' I'll charge ya extra." The cabbie said.

"Sorry about that, she talks a lot." Sky apologized.

"No I don't." Amy argued. "I talk, like, you know, a normal amount. Ugh, stop being so judgemental."

"C'mon, what'd I just tell you about talkin'?" The cabbie said. "Pipe down all right, we're about to arrive anyway."

The taxi slowly came to a stop in front of an old railyard.

"Okay, here we are." The cabbie said. "So, uh, if you don't mind me aksing what brings you here."

"Let's just say detective business and leave it at that." Sky replied.

Sky reached into her pocket and dug out a wad of cash.

"Huh, thanks for this, Chris." Sky remarked to herself.

She handed the money to the driver and she got out of the taxi with Amy. Shortly afterwards, the cab drove off.

"So now what do we do?" Amy asked.

"We search this place until we find Chef. Can't be that hard." Sky said.

"Ugh, fine. I just hope it isn't too much work." Amy remarked.

"You can't get anything done if you don't work hard." Sky argued.

"Fine, I'll work. But only a little." Amy said.

"Great, now follow me." Sky said.

Sky walked further into the trainyard ignoring the "No Trespassing" sign with Amy following along behind her.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"I feel like Sky thinks she's in charge of our little alliance." Amy remarked. "I really need to remind her that _I'm_ the one with real power."

* * *

Meanwhile, Dave and Scott were following the same group of men from before down a street. The duo kept their distance but made sure not to lose the poeple they were tailing.

"Gonna be honest, this kinda scares me." Dave quietely admitted.

"It'll be fine." Scott whispered back. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"It's just hard not to freak out when you're following around these tough looking guys." Dave stated.

"Keep it together. Take a deep breath or something, okay. I don't want you blowing our cover." Scott said.

"Okay, sure, I'll try that." Dave said.

The two of them silently continued to follow the gangsters down the street. After a while, the businesses and apartment buildings on the sidewalk vanished until they were walking next to a railyard. The gangsters went to an opening in the fence in the railyard and entered through it.

"You think this is the place that the train is?" Dave asked.

"Oh, I'm absolutely certain." Scott stated. "C'mon, let's check it out."

"This seems like a bad idea..." Dave mumbled.

"Why are you such a wimp all the time?" Scott asked. "God, just follow me."

Scott grabbed Dave by the wrist and led him into the trainyard.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Sometimes, I wonder what this season would be like if I just didn't try this alliance with Dave." Scott remarked.

* * *

Inside a taxi cab, DJ, Sierra, and Topher were being driven around in the same direction the car they were following went.

"This is so exciting." Sierra remarked. "We're totally gonna win this, guys."

"Can't only one person win?" DJ pointed out.

"Oh, right." Sierra realized. "Well, one of us will win at least."

"Hey, taxi guy, how long 'til we get there?" Topher asked their driver.

"Stop askin'. The more you ask, the more I wanna kick you out." The driver said. "I gotta focus on followin' that care you told me to follow."

"Okay, fine, fine. I get the message." Topher replied. "I'll keep quiet."

"Thank you." The driver remarked.

Their cab drove around for a couple more minutes until it stopped right out front of the railyard. The car they had been following parked itself there as well but nobody inside had gotten out.

"Here ya go, I followed that car for ya." The driver said.

Sierra dug a wad of cash out of her pocket and gave it to the driver.

"Thanks a ton." Sierra said.

DJ, Sierra, and Topher exited the taxi and the vehicle drove off soon after.

"So, um, now what do we do?" DJ asked.

"We go in there, find Chef, stop him from leaving." Sierra stated. "Easy."

"No, that doesn't sound easy at all..." DJ trailed off.

"Ah, don't worry. It'll be fine." Sierra told him.

"Trust us DJ, you gotta put yourself at risk sometimes." Topher added.

"That's terrible advice." DJ said.

"C'mon, let's get in there before the guys we followed do." Sierra said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I feel like I really need to take charge more." DJ remarked. "Those two don't seem like they know what they're doing."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn and Lightning were also inside a taxi that was headed for the railyard.

"Do you get the feeling that we're behind everyone else?" Shawn wondered.

"Ah, you're just bein' paranoid." Lightning stated. "We're A-okay."

"Are you sure?" Shawn asked.

"C'mon man, stop askin'." Lightning said. "We gotta focus on stopping those gangster guys."

"Gangsters? Are you two cops or something?" The driver asked.

"Detectives, dude." Lightning replied. "We're totally taking down these criminal guys."

"Well good luck, bud. Never liked these mafia guys." The driver said. "Just don't get yerself killed."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Shawn half-sarcastically replied.

"No problem, bud." The driver said. "Hey, just to let'cha know we're at the trainyard."

The cab came to a stop.

"Oh, great." Lightning said. "C'mon, Shawn! Let's go!"

"Hold up, ya gotta pay me first." The driver pointed out.

"Oh, right..." Lightning remembered as he began fishing around in his pockets. "Just a sec..."

Lightning pulled out a wad of cash and handed it off to the cabbie.

"Here ya go man." Lightning said. "See ya later."

Shawn and Lightning got out of the taxi and it quickly drove away.

"Wow, he was in a hurry." Lightning observed.

"It probably has something to do with the gangsters." Shawn remarked.

"Ah, whatever." Lightning said. "C'mon dude, let's get in there! This is gonna be sha-awesome."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I feel like I complain about Lightning a lot." Shawn remarked. "He's actually pretty cool all things considered."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sky and Amy were wandering around inside the trainyard. Around them were many train cars, mostly the kind used to transport cargo.

"Do you see anything yet?" Sky asked.

"Trains." Amy bluntly stated.

"Other than that, I mean." Sky replied. "Anything that looks like it belongs to a mob boss."

"Hmm... No, not yet. All of this stuff looks like a normal train." Amy said.

"Well keep an eye out, we're gonna win this." Sky said.

"What do you think a rich mobster's train even looks like?" Amy wondered.

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll know it when we see it." Sky replied. "Now let's be quiet, people could be listening to us."

The two of them kept wandering around the railyard. After a few more minutes, Sky spotted something in the distance.

"Whoa, do you see that?" Sky asked.

"No, what is it?" Amy asked.

Sky pointed ahead of them to a very new looking train that had a certain quality to it that made it seem different from the other train.

"I don't know what a rich mob boss's train looks like, but that seems like a good start." Sky remarked.

"Hmm... You may be right." Amy agreed. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I know it might sound a little weird, but it felt really good to hear Amy admit I was right about something." Sky said. "She's just so, annoying all the time. That one bit of positivity really was rare."

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were searching through a completely different part of the trainyard.

"This challenge is kinda boring." Scott complained.

"I'm not complaining, the less dangerous something is the better." Dave remarked. "Now just look out for Chef's train."

"Hey, don't boss me around." Scott told him.

"Heh, s-sorry." Dave quickly apologized. "Just giving you some instructions is all."

"Right, right, okay." Scott said. "Let's keep looking then."

The two of them turned a corner past a boxcar and saw the same train that Sky and Amy had managed to find.

"Okay, now _this_ is promising." Scott remarked.

"Huh? How?" Dave asked.

"This is obviously Chef's train." Scott stated. "It looks nothing like the others."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Dave realized.

"Now come on, let's check it out." Scott told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"As aggressive as he can be, Scott can be pretty smart sometimes." Dave remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, DJ, Topher, and Sierra were in search of Chef's train as well.

"So what do you think a train belonging to a mob boss looks like?" DJ wondered.

"It probably stands out." Sierra said.

"It's probably all shiny with gold and stuff." Topher theorized. "Whatever it looks like, I'm gonna own one once I hit it big."

The trio walked between the boxcars silently. They turned a corner and came face to face with Shawn and Lightning.

"Whoa, wasn't expectin' to run into anyone." Lightning remarked.

"Oh, hey guys." Shawn said. "What brings you here?"

"Same as you, trying to find Chef's train." Topher said.

"Sha-sweet. Ya seen anything?" Lightning asked.

"Nope, not yet. But we've got a good feeling about it." Sierra said. "Say, wanna follow us around."

"Sure, why not." Lightning agreed.

"Wait, what?" Shawn asked.

"C'mon Shawn it'll be great." Lightning said. "Now let's go."

"Okay, guess we're doing this now." Shawn said.

"I'm on the same page as you, Shawn." DJ remarked.

The five of them started walking among the trains to try and find the right one. Their short journey together ended when they turned another corner and saw th same train the others saw.

"Damn, this looks like the place." Lighning said.

"Sure does." Sierra said. "Well, I'm ready to go in."

"Uh, shouldn't we have more of plan first?" DJ asked.

"Oh, it'll be fine." Sierra told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I do not understand how that purple haired girl made it so far." Lightning said.

* * *

On the back of Chef's train, Amy and Sky had just snuck on. They both were hidden inside a laundry cart. Just outside the basket were a gangster who worked for Chef. He wore a nice suit and was smoking a cigar

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Amy whispered. "We're kinda trapped in here."

"I don't know. We'll need to work together on this." Sky said.

"Okay, fine." Amy said. "How about we try to knock these guys out?"

"Sure, that could work." Sky agreed. "We'll need to act fast though."

"I can do that." Amy replied. "Let's go on three."

"Good plan." Sky said. "One... Two... Three!"

The two of them jumped out of the laundry basket and tackled the gangster outside to the ground..

"Hey!" The gangster exclaimed. "What's goin-"

The gangster got cut off when his head was slammed into the floor by Amy.

"Okay, that should take car of him." Sky said as she stood up. "Feel like that was a bit excessive though."

"Ugh whatever." Amy replied. "Just please promise there's no more hiding in dirty laundry baskets, okay?"

"I'll try." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I feel like saying 'Amy is a jerk' is starting to get repetitive." Sky remarked. "But I think I'm gonna say it anyway."

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave had climbed on to the roof of Chef's train.

"Okay, so what do we do from here?" Dave wondered.

"I mean, I guess we find a way to break in from here." Scott said. "If we were able to climb on the roof like this the place can't be that well secured."

"Oh, I see." Dave said. "Think there's a skylight or something?"

"Hmm? This does look like a nice train so I'd guess it probably would." Scott replied.

"In that case, let's check." Dave remarked.

The two of them continued along the length of the train's roof.

"Think they can hear us down there?" Dave wondered.

"Don't be so paranoid. If they couldheard us, then they'd have come up here by now." Scott told him. "Now let's try to find a skylight."

"Right, right, the skylight." Dave said. "Did those even exist in the 40's? Or whenever this is."

"Doesn't matter. Something tells me Chris doesn't really care about historical accuracy." Scott pointed out.

The two of them stepped over to the next car in the train and found that it indeed had a skylight right in the middle of it.

"All right, looks like this is our way in." Scott said. "You want me to go first?"

"Uh, yes." Dave replied. "I'd rather not have shards of glass stuck in me."

"Hmmph, it's not even real glass." Scott pointed out.

"Just go, please." Dave requested.

"Fine, here it goes." Scott said.

Scott took a few steps backwards and began running. He jumped into the air and landed on the glass. The skylight shattered and Scott landed in what appeared to be the train's dining room. All around him were many men in nice suits, including Chef. They all seemed very angry.

"This was a mistake..." Scott realized.

After saying this, Dave jumped down through the smashed skylight. He froze in fear after seeing the gangsters around him.

"Oh god... We should run." Dave remarked.

"Ya don't say?" Scott sarcastically replied.

"Get 'em!" One of the gangsters exclaimed.

All the gangsters reached for their weapons but Dave and Scott had begun to run away even before the gangster spoke. They dashed into the next car, some kind of kitchen, and closed the door bridging the two cars behind them. Scott saw a stool in the kitchen and picked it up. He wedged it under the door handle in hopes of barricading it.

"Will that hold?" Dave asked.

"Prob'ly not." Scott said. "But it'll have to do for now."

Scott and Dave turned around only to see that Sierra, DJ, Topher, Shawn, and Lightning were in the kitchen with them.

"How the hell did you all get in here?!" Scott exclaimed.

"We just climbed through the window." Lightning told him.

"Why didn't you say anything to us?" Dave asked.

"Uh, we were all kinda confused about what you guys seemed so panicked about." DJ explained.

"Oh, there are a bunch of angry mobsters in the next room." Dave replied. "They're probably gonna break in here and kill us all."

"Yeah, so, like, we'd better move and fast." Scott stated.

The muffled sound of a pistol being fired was heard from the next room over.

"Yep, they're definitely trying to shoot through the door." Topher said. "Well everyone, I'll be hiding if you need me."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I don't like to think of that as a cowardly move." Topher said. "I like to think of that as survival instinct."

* * *

There were several thumps against the barricaded door as if someone was trying to break it down. All seven contestants moved away from the barricaded door to the other door in the train. Before any of them could open the door it opened on its own and Amy and Sky stepped out into the kitchen. Everyone froze, surprised at seeing each other.

"Oh come on, really?" Amy remarked. "I thought _we_ were the only ones on the train."

"Hate to disappoint you, pal." Scott replied.

"So, uh, what do we do now that everyone's here?" DJ asked.

Before anyone could say antyhing else they felt the train begin to move.

"Uh oh, that can't be good." Shawn said.

The train began to pick up speed.

"I think they might be trying to leave the railyard." Sierra remarked.

"Okay, I've got a plan." Scott stated. "Dave, we're going up to the roof."

"Wait, what?" Dave asked.

"Just do it, okay man." Scott told him.

"Oh... All right." Dave said.

Dave and Scott pushed past the other contestants and went over to the gap between cars.

"Give me a boost." Scott said.

Dave nodded and held his hands out. Scott used this to climb up on to the roof and soon after pulled Dave up with him.

"What now?" Dave asked.

"I'm not too sure." Scott admitted.

Down in the kitchen, the other contestants didn't know what to do.

"So, um, should we follow them or something?" Sierra asked.

"I dunno." DJ remarked.

"Well, I don't know about you but that's what _I'm_ going to do." Amy stated. "Come on Sky!"

"Okay, let's do this." Sky said.

"Well, if everyone else is doing this I'm gonna do it too." Topher decided.

Mere minutes later, pretty much everyone had climbed up on the roof.

"Dammit, guys! Stop copying us!" Scott exclaimed in frustration.

"Hey, you don't have copyright on being on the roof of a moving train." Amy replied.

"Uh, Amy, we have more important things to do than argue." Sky pointed out. "Like, winning for example."

"Oh, guys, we should check the front of the train." Sierra told DJ and Topher. "This way!"

Sierra grabbed DJ and Topher by their wrists and led them along the roof.

"Well fellowing people's worked so far." Lightning stated. "Let's sha-go!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I wanted to argue with him for saying that, but technically he was right." Shawn remarked.

* * *

All the contestants had begun running along the train's roof. They leaped from car to car in an attempt to reach the front.

"So Sierra, do you know what we do when we reach the front?" DJ asked.

"Nope, I just figured it sounded like a good idea." Sierra said.

"This isn't gonna end well..." DJ whimpered to himself.

The first of the contestants to reach the front of the train were Sky and Amy.

"Amy, I've got an idea." Sky said. "We break into the front and stop the train."

"Gee, what a well thought out and detailed plan." Amy sarcastically remarked.

"Like you've got any better ideas." Sky replied.

"Okay, fine, that's fair." Amy admitted. "We'll do it your way then."

"Great, I'll use my gymnastic skills to break in and you follow my lead." Sky said. "I think I see something I can grip on to. You grab on to me and I'm gonna go for it."

"Uh, okay." Amy said. "If this ends badly I'm blaming you."

Amy puts her arms around Sky's neck.

"So what?" Amy asked. "Are you going to-"

Amy was cut off when Sky grabbed a small piece of railing and did a series of maneuvers that culminated in her doing a flip and crashing through a window on the front car of the train. Amy fell off of Sky's back but Sky herself landed on her feet.

"Wow! That felt awesome!" Sky cheered.

"Ugh, seriously..." Amy mumbled in annoyance.

Inside the front compartment of the train was nobody but Chef and the train's conductor.

"Gah! What's goin' on here!" The conductor exclaimed.

"Uh, we're here to stop this train." Sky stated.

"Yeah, that thing she said." Amy said as she got up from the floor.

"T-take it. You'll have to fight the boss though." The conductor ran out of the engine room in fear.

Chef stared at Amy and Sky.

"Ah, go ahead and stop the train." Chef told them.

"Wait, seriously?" Sky asked.

"You think I get paid enough to care about this?" Chef replied. "Go on, stop it."

"Ha! We win!" Amy cheered. "In your face, everyone else. Sky, stop the train for me."

"Oh, got it." Sky replied.

Sky approached the train's control panel. She briefly looked to Chef.

"So again, you're totally cool if I stop this." Sky said.

"Like I said, I ain't getin' paid enough to care." Chef repeated himself.

"Okay, how do you stop a train..." Sky looked over the panel trying to figure it out.

Seeingly at random, Sky pulled a lever on the train's control panel. There was a deafening screeching of wheels and the train slowed so suddenly Chef, Sky, and Amy were all jolted forward but it.

"Whoa!" Sky exclaimed.

"Does this mean the challenge is over?" Amy asked once their train had stopped completely.

The three of them began to glow in a white light.

"Yep, looks like it's all done." Sky said.

They were all taken away in a flash of light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Chef)**

"Wow, this is a nice confessional." Chef noticed. "Anyway, this is just a pubic notice to the producers. Can someonebody here gimme a raise? I've been doin' this job for way too long and haven't asked for enough."

* * *

Back in the real world, all the contestants, as well as Chef, had just come back to reality. They took off their helmets and stood up.

"And welcome back!" Chris cheered. "How's it feel?"

"Uh, okay I guess." DJ replied.

"Quick question." Dave spoke up. "Who won?"

"That would be Sky." Chris stated.

"Wait, what?" Amy asked. "Hold on, I was there too! It was a group effort!"

"Yes, but Sky was the one who stopped it." Chris said. "So, she gets a win."

"Ugh, so unfair." Amy said.

"Hey, you're not the only one who lost." Shawn pointed out.

"But I deserved it more." Amy replied.

"Anyway, you know how it goes. Go get something to eat and then vote each other." Chris continued. "Let's go!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Amy)**

"Ugh, the one time I _want_ to share something it doesn't happen." Amy said. "I should've gotten invincibility too."

* * *

Later in the film lot's cafeteria, all the contestants had sat down for some cold soup at the various tables. The camera focused in on the table belonging to Scott and Dave.

"So... Since we can't vote for Sky who should we go for?" Dave asked.

"Hmm, good question." Scott said. "We sure got a lot of options. For example, Amy's been a thorn in my side for way too long."

"I'd be okay with that." Dave agreed. "But let's keep our options open."

"Okay, I've got some other ideas." Scott replied. "How about Shawn. He seems weird, but if he's made it this far he's probably smart."

"Hmm, that does make sense." Dave said. "Yeah, let's go for him."

The camera moved over to the table occupied by Shawn and Lightning.

"Aw man, I can't believe we lost again. I won the first post-merge challenge, didn't I?" Lightning remarked. "No seriously, I wanna know if I'm rememberin' that right."

"We have bigger things to think about." Shawn said. "Like who to vote for example."

"Oh, that's a no brainer." Lightning said.

"Really?" Shawn asked. "Who is it then?"

"I think Amy's annoying, so I wanna vote for her." Lightning stated.

"You know what, I think I agree." Shawn admitted. "But for different reasons."

"Oh yeah? What reasons?" Lightning asked.

"She's clearly in an alliance with Sky." Shawn began. "And if she's made it this far she knows what she's doing. Oh, and like you said, she's annoying."

"Great, glad we agree." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"Sometimes, it feels good to vote for people for petty reasons." Shawn admitted.

* * *

The camera moved over to the table of Topher, Sierra, and DJ.

"So, uh, we can all agree that this soup is too cold right?" Topher asked.

"Oh yeah, totally." Sierra said.

DJ nodded.

"Great, second thing, who should we vote for?" Topher asked.

"You can't just change topics like that." DJ said. "And another thing, I'm still not completely sure I want to be part of this alliance."

"I'm just not in the mood to talk about it." Sierra remarked.

"Aw, why not." Topher replied.

"I dunno, just don't feel like it." Sierra said. "Maybe I'm hungry."

"But the soup's cold." Topher said.

"Still better than nothing." Sierra remarked.

The camera moved over to Amy and Sky's table.

"Well, congrats on winning I guess." Amy bitterly remarked. "I still say _I_ should've gotten immunity too."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Sky said. "What are the chances you get voted off anyway?"

"Hmmph, whatever. Can we just talk about who we're voting for?" Amy asked.

"Oh, okay, sure." Sky said. "Who were you thinking about targeting?"

"Well, I say we go for the least useful player." Amy remarked. "Someone like DJ or Dave."

"Why would we do that? Wouldn't it make more sense to go for a more powerful player." Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, but if we don't get rid of them now all the powerful players will rip each other apart. Then it'll just be people like them at the end." Amy argued.

"Okay, I see your point." Sky admitted.

"Great, then it looks like we know who to vote for." Amy said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Amy usually isn't very smart. But tonight, she made a few good points." Sky said.

* * *

A little bit later, all the contestants had gathered up around the stage for the elimination ceremony. Chris was on the stage while the contestants sat in the bleachers.

"Okay people, after some film noir fun we only had one winner. Sky!" Chris recapped. "And now for the part you've all been dreading: The votes!"

"Wow, you're just skipping right to it today, huh?" Scott remarked.

"I figured if you didn't like my witty banter I'd keep it brief today." Chris said. "Now, go vote."

"All right, I won't complain then." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott held a crossed out photo of Shawn up to the camera.

"I'm not sure how well this'll work, but it's worth a shot." Scott stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a picture of DJ.

"I'm not totally confident in Amy's plan but I feel like it could work." SKy admitted.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn showed a crossed out photograph of Amy to the camera.

"You're kind of the worst and I hope we finally get rid of her." Shawn remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ held a picture of Dave with an X over it to the camera.

"Nothing personal Dave, I couldn't think of anyone to vote for and chose at random." DJ explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave drew an X over a photo of Shawn.

"I don't think I'll mind if you get eliminated." Dave admitted. "You're kinda weird."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy held a corssed out photograph of DJ to the camera.

"You will not be missed." Amy stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning scribbled an X over a photo of Amy.

"Sha-bye, I ain't gonna miss ya." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

"I'm starting to regret not talking to Topher about who to vote for." Sierra admitted. "Because now I don't know if I should vote for Amy 'cause she annoys me, or if there's a more strategic option I could go for."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

"I don't quite know who to vote for." Topher admitted. "But I feel like this allinace, or whatever it is, with DJ and Sierra is a bad idea. So, I'm going to go for one of them. Just not sure which one."

* * *

The scene switched back over to Chris on stage post-voting.

"Okay people, I've the votes have been cast and I've looked over them thoroughly." Chris stated. "So, first let's give some awards to those who did not get any votes against them. Sierra, Scott, Sky, Lightning, and Topher! You're all completely safe."

Chris threw all the people he mentioned a Gilded Chris Award.

"Now, for those of you who did not have enough votes to be considered for the final two." Chris said. "Those people are..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Dave and Shawn!"

Chris tossed Dave and Shawn their awards.

"Phew, knew I was safe." Dave remarked.

"Now, that leaves DJ and Amy." Chris went on. "One of you will be leaving this show to never return and another will be getting an award. And the recipient of the award is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Neither of you! That's right we've got another tie!"

"Wait, what?" Amy said.

"That just means you've gotta go back and vote again." Chris said. "Only the catch is, you can only vote for DJ or Amy. So everyone, go vote."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Amy)**

Amy drew an X on one of DJ's photos.

"Not like I have much choice." Amy remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ crossed out a picture of Amy.

"I can't really vote for anybody but her." DJ remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave held a picture of DJ with an X over it to the camera.

"Before I came in here Scott told me to vote for DJ, not really sure why but he is kinda annoying." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra drew an X over a picture of Amy.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll miss you." Sierra said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photo of DJ.

"Look, my plan was to get rid of Shawn and now that I can't I'm just gonna go for DJ." Scott said. "I'll get him next time."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher held a crossed out photograph of DJ in view of the camera.

"I feel like this is the right thing to do." Topher stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning held up a crossed out photo of Amy.

"Still don't like ya, Amy." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn drew an X over one of Amy's photos.

"No idea how this didn't work the first time, but it'd better work this time."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

"You know, I've been thinking, maybe this tiebreaker is trying to tell me something. Sky said. "Maybe I can try and take control of this game and get rid of Amy, she is holding me down. Or, I can play it safe and vote for DJ. I don't know yet."

* * *

The scene once more switched back to Chris on stage and the contestants in the bleachers.

"Okay, after going through the votes once more I can determine a definite loser." Chris stated.

"Then get on with it." Amy said.

"If you insist." Chris remarked. "Amy, DJ. I only have one Gilded Chris Awards left. And it goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... DJ!"

Chris threw the last award to DJ.

"Oh, wow." DJ remarked.

"No!" Amy shouted. "This isn't fair! It should be me! Me!"

"Sorry, I just count the votes." Chris replied. "Now get on down to the Lame-O-Sine or I'll have Chef bring you there himself."

"Hmmph, fine..." Amy grumbled. "But I'll be back."

"No, you won't. The Aftermath where people come back already passed." Chris pointed out. "Anyway, see ya later."

Amy stood up from her spot in the bleachers. She walked down the red carpet and entered the limousine waiting for her.

"Ugh! So unfair!" Amy exclaimed to nobody in particular. "Whatever, at least Samey wasn't here to ruin it. Can we get this car moving? I'm feeling really angry right now."

The car began to drive away and the scene switched to Chris watching on the red carpet outside. As soon as the limo was gone, Chris turned to the camera.

"Well folks there goes another one." Chris remarked. "That means we're back down to eight. And that feels pretty great. Rhyming aside, stick around for next time. Because you never know what'll happen on, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Shawn, Topher, DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

Amy the Bad Twin (9th Place)

 **First Votes:**

Scott: Shawn

Dave: Shawn

Lightning: Amy

Shawn: Amy

Amy: DJ

Sky: DJ

Sierra: Amy

Topher: DJ

DJ: Dave

 **Results:**

Amy: 3 votes

DJ: 3 votes

Shawn: 2 votes

Dave: 1 vote

 **Tiebreaker Votes:**

Scott: DJ

Dave: DJ

Lightning: Amy

Shawn: Amy

Amy: DJ

Sky: Amy

Sierra: Amy

Topher: DJ

DJ: Amy

 **Tiebreaker Results:**

Amy: 5 votes

DJ: 4 votes

* * *

 **Well that does it for this chapter. If I'd known I would finish it on Christmas I'd have tried harder to make a Christmas themed challenge. But whatever, I still hope you all like the chapter regardless. As for Amy's elimination, I figured this was a good time to start breaking up some of the alliances and Amy seemed like a good start. Anyway, that about does it here. Leave a review if you'd like and thanks for reading.**


	19. Dramaween

**Oh wow, this one took a while to update. Sorry about that, I was busy over the holidays and then busy with school. Anyway, we're back now and we've got a brand new chapter for you all. I don't have much to say starting out here so let me just respond to your reviews.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **WeirdAlFan101:** Glad you liked the last chapter. Hope this one was worth the wait.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks for reviewing.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Once again, thank you for all the ideas.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Champions! In the spirit of film noir, we sent our contestants to a gangster's paradise. Where the lead gangster was played by a less than enthusiastic Chef. In the end, it was Sky who took home the prize of immunity. But after a tiebreaker, it was Sky's alliance buddy Amy who ended up going home. Don't think anybody'll miss her. Including Sky. Will the remaining alliances stay as strong? I sure hope not, because that makes for good TV. But the only way to know for certain is to watch the next episode of, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

Early in the morning, all the contestants had gathered in the mess hall to eat some mostly frozen waffles for breakfast. All the contestants were sitting around based on where they were in an alliance. The one odd man out was Sky. The camera focused in on her wandering around the mess hall trying to find a suitable place to sit that wasn't all by herself. She went to the table that Shawn and Lightning were at.

"Hey guys, mind if I sit here?" Sky asked.

"Sure man, I love company." Lightning replied.

"Yeah, we don't really have anything better going on." Shawn agreed.

"Great." Sky sat down with the two of them. "Honestly, it feels great to talk to someone other than Amy."

"So you don't miss her?" Shawn asked.

"Absolutely not." Sky stated. "I actually voted for her during the tiebreaker."

"Sweet, you're all right in my book." Lightning said. "Y'know, me and Shawn could use another person in our alliance."

"Uh, Lightning, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Shawn quickly looked over at Sky. "Er, no offence there Sky."

"It's okay, I totally get it." Sky replied. "Seriously, I'm just glad to feel independent."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"It feels really good not to have Amy around. She was just so… Nasty." Sky said. "I feel like I'm gonna have a much better time in the game now that she isn't here."

* * *

The camera panned over to Sierra, DJ, and Topher at there table.

"You know what I don't understand." DJ remarked.

"What's that?" Topher asked.

"How'd I end up with so many votes last time?" DJ wondered. "I mean, what'd I ever do?"

"Search me. I voted Amy both times." Sierra told him.

"Uh, wouldn't know anything about that either." Topher added. "I'm sure whoever it was had a plan. But it just didn't pan out."

"I'm sure it won't happen again." Sierra said. "You're such a loveable guy.

"Aw, thanks." DJ said. "That's nice."

"Hey quick thing, can any of you bite into these waffles? Mine's like, completely solid." Topher remarked.

"I bit off a corner piece but that's about it." DJ said.

"You gotta suck on them to melt the ice." Sierra stated. "That's what I did."

"Ew… Gross…" Topher trailed off in disgust. "I think I'd rather just skip breakfast."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I don't think I like what I have going on with DJ and Sierra." Topher said. "I feel like I function better as a loner. Plus, I get more screen time to myself instead of having to share it."

* * *

The camera panned to Scott and Dave's table.

"Without Amy it should be easy to take down Sky now." Scott said.

"Oh, right, Sky. Do you think it's even worth trying?" Dave wondered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _you_ even suggesting not going after Sky is seriously making me do a double take." Scott remarked.

"I'm just starting to realize that if she's made it this far she might not be eliminated any time soon." Dave said.

"Well, that shouldn't stop you from trying." Scott said.

"I dunno… Maybe there are better choices." Dave replied.

"Are you kidding, now's the best time to go for her now that she's out of her alliance." Scott argued.

"Hmm… All right, I'll consider it." Dave remarked.

"Great." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I feel like with Amy gone I'm on my way to being the most powerful player left in the game." Scott admitted.

* * *

The camera cut to a close up shot of the film lot's loud speakers.

"Attention remaining contestants!" Chris cheered over the PA system. "You know how it goes. Go down to the warehouse, yada, yada, yada, challenge time! Meet us down there, pronto!"

The scene switched to the contestants arriving at the warehouse.

"Welcome!" Chris cheered. "You all are so punctual."

"Okay, we know what to do." Scott said.

He pre-emptively sat down in one of the simulation chairs.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're thinking ahead." Chris said.

"What genre or movie are we doing this time?" Sierra asked.

"Thanks for asking." Chris replied. "I was just getting to that part. Today's challenge is based on the genre of horror. Specifically the classic 80's slasher genre. You know, Jason, Freddy, Leatherface, all those guys."

"Didn't we do this?" Sierra asked.

"Oh yeah, with all the vampires." Dave recalled.

"Shut up, this is completely different." Chris claimed. "Now we're mostly taking inspiration from the Friday the 13th franchise here. All of you are being transported to an abandoned summer camp where you'll be chased down by our legally distinct knock off of Jason Vorhees. There are three ways to win this challenge. Either A: Find a way to escape the summer camp. B: Kill definitely-not-Jason. Or C: Be the last person alive."

"Oh no…" DJ mumbled.

"What's the matter, you scared?" Chris asked, tauntingly.

"Yes…" DJ admitted.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Chris said. "Except the part where you get hacked to bits by a maniac in a hockey mask."

DJ let out a whimper.

"Ha! Wimp." Lightning laughed.

"Can we get going?" Scott asked from his chair. "I'm getting bored."

"Thank you for showing initiative, Scott." Chris replied. "Everybody, follow Scott's example and sit down!"

The other contestants obeyed and sat down at the various chairs around the room.

"Have fun and try not to die." Chris told them.

Chris went to the machine in the centre of the room and pressed a few buttons seemlingly in a random order.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I don't like things that are supposed to scare me." DJ stated. "Life's scary enough without horror movies. So let's just say I wasn't a fan of this challenge."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Shawn)**

"I was totally prepared for this challenge." Shawn claimed. "I can handle zombies just fine so having to deal with some bozo in a hockey mask wasn't gonna be a problem for me."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants found themselves in the common room of a large log cabin. It looked cozy. It had chairs, a few taxidermy animals, and a roaring fireplace among many other fixtures.

"Wow, this place is pretty neat." Sierra observed. "Maybe this won't be so bad."

"Uh, slasher on the loose, remember." Topher pointed out.

"Oh, right." Sierra realized. "Well, at least it looks nice."

"So, I don't get it. What are we supposed to do now?" Dave asked.

"Maybe we should wait for something to happen." Scott suggested.

Immediately after saying this, the electrical lighting in the cabin shorted out leaving the fireplace as the only lightsource.

"Oh god damn it I need to be quiet." Scott said.

"So that means the killer's coming to find us, right?" Sky asked.

"Oh, absolutely." Shawn replied.

"Well gang, it's been good. But I say we all split up." Topher stated.

"Sha-agreed." Lightning remarked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I was against the whole splitting up idea." Dave stated. "Everyone knows that's how you get yourself killed in a horror film... But they did it anyway."

* * *

All the contestants split off from each other based on their alliances. Shawn, Lightning, and Sky formed one group, Dave and Scott made up another, and the final one was Topher, Sierra, and DJ. The camera focused itself on Dave and Scott wandering around outside together.

"I don't like this..." Dave muttered. "We're gonna be the first ones to get killed."

"Oh, calm down." Scott dismissed him. "We won't die. Especially with me in charge."

"If you say so." Dave remarked. "Just be careful, all right."

The pair continued walking through the campgrounds. Dave suddenly became on edge when he heard the quiet sound of footsteps behind him.

"Did you hear that?" Dave nervously asked.

"No." Scott bluntly replied. "Now stop being paranoid and follow me. Let's find a way out of here."

They kept walking through the forest but Dave thought he could still hear the footsteps continue behind him.

"Okay, I'm serious. I feel like we're being followed." Dave repeated. "Like there's someone right behind us."

"You know what, just to show you there's nothing there, I'll humour you." Scott said. "So where did you hear it."

"J-just a few feet behind us." Dave told him.

Scott and Dave both turned around and saw nothing but the abandoned campgrounds.

"See, nothing." Scott said.

"Okay, maybe I _am_ getting paranoid." Dave admitted.

"Exactly." Scott said. "Now let's just..."

Scott stopped when he and Dave saw a tall shadowy figure step out from behind a tree. The shadowy figure was then illuminated by the moonlight revealing they were wearing a tattered grey jumpsuit and a blood covered yellow mask that resembled a smiley face. In his hand, the killer held a hatchet.

"Oh god, that's the killer, isn't it?" Dave asked.

"I'm sure he's just a lumberjack who's a fan of _Watchmen_." Scott sarcastically replied. "Yes! Of course he's the killer! Run for it!"

The three of them ran off furhter into the camp.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Gonna be honest, that Smiley-Face guy was pretty scary." Scott admitted. "But I swear to god, if anyone hears this confessional, I'll... Okay, I don't know what I'll do but it'll be bad."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn, Lightning, and Sky had wandered away from the main cabin and were making their way down towards teh like

"Okay, I ain't followin' you. Why're we goin' down here?" Lightning asked.

"It's simple. We need to escape." Shawn stated. "And, I figure, if there's a lake where's gotta be a boathouse."

"Hmm, good thinkin'." Lightning said.

"I think Shawn's right, I see a little shack down by the lake." Sky said.

Sky pointed down to a small wooden shed by the lake.

"Let's hurry. I don't wanna get chopped up by some psycho." Lightning suggested.

"I'm with you there." Sky agreed.

"Same." Shawn added.

The trio sped up their pace and made it over to the boathouse only to realize the door was chained up and had a padlock on it.

"Uh oh, how do we get through this?" Sky asked.

"Easy, we just gotta break down the door." Lightning stated. "Y'all step back please."

Shawn and Sky took a few steps away from Lightning.

"So what do you plan to do?" Sky asked.

"I'm chargin' it down." Lightning stated.

"Is that safe?" Sky asked.

"Nah, prob'ly not." Lightning said. "I'm gonna do it anyway."

"Let him work, his plans usually work out." Shawn told Shawn.

"Sha-thanks." Lightning said. "Okay, here I go."

Lightning took a few steps back and ran at the locked doors to the boathouse.

"Take _this_ doors!" Lightning exclaimed.

Lightning rammed into the door, busting the lock and breaking the hinges.

"Sha-woo!" Lightning cheered.

Inside the boathouse was a collection of canoes, rowboats, paddleboats, and other water vehicles.

"So... Now what?" Shawn asked.

"I guess we pick out a boat we like." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I know it hasn't been that long, but I'm starting to like this alliance I have with Shawn and Lightning." Sky admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sierra, Topher, and DJ had wandered away from the cabins and further into the woods.

"So I'm confused, how's this a good idea?" DJ asked.

"Well, like, it's simple, okay." Sierra said. "We need to win by escaping, so I figure we walk away far enough until we win."

"Huh, okay, I guess that could work." DJ replied.

"I dunno, this sounds like it'll take a while." Topher pointed out.

"Yeah, but, I've got a feeling the killer should stick to the campgrounds and the other contestants." Sierra said.

"What if he doesn't?" DJ asked.

"Uh... I didn't think that far ahead." Sierra admitted. "We'll get there when we get there, it should be fine."

"Somehow, I doubt that..." DJ nervously trailed off.

"Oh, come on." Sierra said. "What are the chances that-"

"Run! It's the killer!" A male voice cried out from behind the trio.

"Uh oh..." Topher trailed off.

The three of them turned around and saw Dave and Scott running towards them. Behind them, was the maniac in the smiley face mask.

"Seriously guys!?" Topher exclaimed. "Of all the directions you could've run why this way!?"

"Hey, don't blame us! We just ran!" Scott replied.

"Uh, Topher, we should probably run too." Sierra reminded.

"Oh, right, good idea." Topher said.

Sierra, DJ, and Topher began running away from the killer as well.

"So, um, do we have a different plan now?" DJ asked Sierra.

"Nope, same plan as before." Sierra said. "Now we just gotta run while we do it."

"Oh, great." Topher sarcastically replied. "I'm sure that-"

Topher tripped over a tree root and faceplanted on the ground. The others kept running.

"Hey! Wait up!" Topher yelled as he stood up. "Don't leave me behind!"

"Sorry Topher, you'll just have to catch up!" Sierra shouted back. "Don't worry, I believe in you!"

Topher got his feet and felt a sudden numbness in his back.

"Uh oh... That can't be good..." Topher trailed off.

Topher fell over and looked up to see the killer standing over him, brandishing his axe. The killer brought down the axe into Topher's chest. After a flash of white light, Topher disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I gotta say, it feels weird to fake-die." Topher admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning, Sky, and Shawn were busy looking around the boathouse for any mode of escape.

"Is there gonna be enough room for the three of us on a canoe?" Sky wondered.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Two can paddle and the other can sit in the middle." Shawn said.

"I dunno dude. I'm a pretty big guy." Lightning pointed out.

"Hmm, that's a good point." Shawn admitted. "You could capsize us."

"How 'bout a paddleboat." Lightning said. "Those things are pretty fun."

"I don't think there's enough room for three people on one of those." Shawn pointed out.

"Aw, but I like the paddleboat." Lightning remarked.

"Hold on, I've got an idea." Sky spoke up.

"And what's that?" Lightning asked.

"Well, if only one of us can win then how about we just take one boat each." Sky suggested.

"Huh... That's not too bad an idea." Shawn admitted. "Let's go for it."

"Sha-yeah, this'll be great." Lightning said. "I call the paddleboat!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I can't be the only one who thought it was weird how much he liked the paddleboat, right?" Sky said.

* * *

Meanwhile, DJ, Sierra, Dave, and Scott were still on the run from the killer.

"Wow, this guy is really persistent." Sierra casually remarked as she glanced back at the killer behind them.

"How are you so calm!?" Dave shouted.

"Yeah, I'm with Dave. You're weirdly not panicked." Scott agreed.

"You just gotta remember none of this is real." Sierra explained.

"It's still very scary!" DJ exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so." Sierra remarked. "Hey, anyone know where we're running?"

"No, I think we're too busy focusing on not dying to pay attention to that." Scott replied.

"Okay, I was only asking because it looks like we went back to the camp." Sierra said.

Scott focused on the path ahead of them and saw that they had indeed ended up on the campgrounds again.

"Ah dammit, you're right." Scott said.

"Well, it'd be kinda stupid to stop running." Dave pointed out.

"Yep, we'd better keep it up." Scott agreed.

"I don't wanna die!" DJ shouted.

"Relax, it isn't real." Sierra said.

"That doesn't make it less scary!" DJ yelled.

In his panic, DJ slammed face first into a tree. While he was dazed by this, the killer drove their axe into DJ's head which caused a flash of white light to make him disappear.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I'm kind glad I died early on." DJ remarked. "'Cause that way, I get to be scared a lot less."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning, Sky, and Shawn were transporting their boats from the boathouse to the lake. Lightning had picked out a paddleboat while Shawn and Sky had each individually chosen a rowboat.

"Sha-woo! I'm gonna win this!" Lightning cheered. "Watch out world, Lightning's gonna paddle his way outta here!"

"Could you please keep it down?" Sky requested. "I'm trying to focus."

"Oh, sorry girl." Lightning said. "I'll try to be quiet now."

The three of them continued towards the lake. After a couple minutes, Shawn suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Do you guys hear that?" Shawn asked.

"Hear what?" Sky replied.

"Just listen..." Shawn said.

The three of them stopped moving and the sound of lots of footsteps getting closer was audible.

"Okay... What do you guys think that is?" Lightning asked.

"Whatever it is, I got a bad feeling about it." Shawn said.

"I wish you didn't say that, dude." Lightning remarked. "Now it's totally gonna be a bad thing."

"Meh, the chances of it being a good thing were pretty slim to start with." Sky said.

"Think we should hurry?" Shawn wondered.

"Oh yeah, let's do that." Sky replied. "Let's get these things into the water."

The three of them continued on their way from the boathouse to the docks as the footsteps behind them grew closer.

"Okay, I can't be the only one wondering what that noise is." Lightning said.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know what it is." Sky remarked. "That's why I'm hurrying to-"

"Guy! Can you help us!" A voice coming from the same area as the footsteps called out. "Please?!"

Lightning looked towards the voices and saw all the other contestants running towards them being chased by the killer.

"Oh crap, that don't look good." Lightning remarked.

"C'mon Lightning, let's hurry!" Shawn said.

The three of them made it over to the docks and placed their boats in the water. But by then it was too late. All the other remaining contestants had made it to the docks in desperate search of a way out.

"Hey! Can we get a little help?" Dave requested. "Please?"

"Get your own boats." Sky said.

"Sha-yeah, only one of us can win anyhow." Lightning added.

"Well we'll just have to compete to be on the front of the boat." Sierra said.

"That's it, I'm getting out of here." Shawn said as he threw his boat down into the water.

"Better do that too." Sky remarked as she copied Shawn's actions.

"Sha-same." Lightning threw his boat into the lake too. "Later y'all."

"Fine, if that's how it's gonna be I think it's time for a hostile takeover." Scott remarked. "Who's with we?"

"Yep, I can do that." Sierra agreed.

"If you think it'll work, I'll do it." Dave said.

"DJ, Topher, what about you?" Scott asked.

"They're dead." Sierra reminded him.

"Oh, right..." Scott briefly trailed off. "Well anyway, point is, we're taking over your boats!"

"Not if we get outta here first!" Lightning announced. "See y'all later!"

Lightning jumped towards his boat but appeared to misjudge his landed as he landed in the water just in front of it. He sputtered to the surface and spat out a mouthful of water.

"Dammit, that was supposed to be all cool." Lightning remarked.

Lightning climbed up into his paddleboat and saw that Sierra had gotten into the second seat while he was underwater.

"Hey ya, ready to go?" Sierra asked.

"Ah, whatever, girl. Let's just do this." Lightning said. "I wanna get outta this crazy place."

"Yay! Paddleboat, away!" Sierra cheered.

Sierra and Lightning began peddling the boat and the craft moved forward.

As this happened, Sky climbed down into her rowboat.

"Okay, now to get out of here." Sky said. "Especially before-"

Sky stopped herself when she saw Dave jump down into the boat.

"Seriously?!" Sky exclaimed.

"Oh, come on!" Dave shouted, sounding equally upset. "Of all the boats I could've picked? Why didn't I look more?"

"Great question." Sky agreed. "How about you go bug Shawn instead?"

"Fine, but then you're stuck with Scott." Dave said.

"I'd prefer to be stuck with _neither_ of you." Sky stated.

"You know what, I'm just taking the paddles and getting out of here." Dave decided. "I just want this challenge to be done with."

Dave sat down and grabbed the paddles. He started to row the boat away. Sky decided not to argue. She too just wanted out of the challenge.

While this happened, Scott and Shawn both got into the last remaining boat at the same time.

"Y'know Shawn, I've never been a big fan of sharing." Scott remarked.

"Well, I see this going two ways." Shawn said. "Either we work together and one of us gets first place. Or if we're lucky we _both_ get first. But if that doesn't happen, we fight each other and both lose."

"All right, fine. You're persuasive." Scott admitted. "Let's try this out. You row, I'll see if that crazy serial killer guy has a speedboat."

"He's not gonna have a boat." Shawn stated as he sat down with the oars and began rowing.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I don't know if I've made it clear or not, but I'm not exactly the biggest fan of cooperation." Scott stated.

* * *

The camera moved over to Lightning and Sierra's paddleboat.

"So what happens if we escape?" Lightning asked. "Only one of us can win, right?"

"Yeah, that's usually the case." Sierra agreed. "But with Chris, he kinda just makes up the rules to suit him. So he may let both of us win."

"Sha-sweet!" Lightning cheered.

"Or he might make us do rock-paper-scissors or a coin toss or something to decide the winner." Sierra went on.

"Less sha-sweet." Lightning said. "Well, at least we got away from that psycho killer guy."

"I dunno, in slasher films he always shows up when you least expected it." Sierra replied.

"Yeah, but we're in a boat." Lightning pointed out. "There's no way he-"

Lightning stopped himself when he heard the whirring of a motoried boat headed towards them.

"Oh crap, that's the psycho dude, ain't it?" Lightning remarked.

"Probably." Sierra replied. "To be honest, I'm too afraid to look back and check."

"I'll do it then." Lightning looked behind him.

He saw a rusty old motorboat with the psycho riding it. The boat moved towards the two of them.

"Uh oh... We're kinda screwed now." Lightning remarked.

"Don't say that. We can win if we go faster." Sierra picked up the speed of her peddling.

Lightning tried peddling the boat faster as well but it ended up being in vain as the motorboat stopped right in front of them.

"Yep, like I said, screwed." Lightning repeated himself.

They bumped into the front of the motorboat which brought their paddleboat to a halt. The killer let out a laugh and swung their axe down to hit Lightning. As soon as it touched him Lightning disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Just don't hit the face!" Sierra pleaded as she saw the axe now coming at her.

The axe touched her shoulder and she disappeared as well.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Y'know, as crazy as it sounds, I'm really in the mood to watch some horror films after that challenge." Sierra admitted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sky and Dave's boat as right alongside the rowboat of Shawn and Scott.

"Hey! Shawn, wanna trade places with me?" Sky jokingly suggested as she rowed. "Not sure how much longer I can stand looking at this guy."

"Oh, real mature." Dave sarcastically replied.

"Shut up, do you want to stay in the same boat as me or not?" Sky asked.

"Maybe you two can try discussing whatever your issues are." Shawn suggested.

"Yeah, and preferably do it without rowing the boat. Y'know, so I can win." Scott added.

"Ah c'mon Scott, we're on the same side here." Dave whined.

"Then why are you in my boat?" Sky asked.

"Want me to jump ship, I'll do it." Dave stated.

"If you try that I seriously think I might kick you off." Shawn stated. "Scott too."

"Oh come on, what'd I do?" Scott asked.

"Invade my rowboat, for one thing." Shawn said.

"Uh, guys, do you hear that?" Sky asked.

"Shut up, Sky." Dave told her.

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Sky retorted. "And seriously, listen."

All four sat in silence for a moment and heard the sound of a motorboat coming towards them.

"Okay, that's not good. Time to row faster." Shawn stated as he picked up the speed he rowed at.

Scott, Sky, and Dave all looked in the direction of the sound and saw the speedboat with the killer on it coming towards them.

"A boat! The guy has a boat!" Dave panicked. "Why?! Why would he have that?!"

"Well, it's time to run away now." Sky said as she began rowing again.

The motorboat quickly caught up with Dave and Sky and rammed into it. The force was enough to send Dave over the edge of their boat and into the water. Sky let go of the oars for a brief moment and reached into the water. She Dave's hand grab on to hers and she pulled him up. After Dave as back in the boat the two made eye contact.

"You saved me?" Dave said, sounding confused. "Why?"

"I don't know." Sky admitted. "Let's just- Oh god, he got me didn't he..."

Sky collapsed to the side to reveal the axe embedded in her back. After a flash of light she disappeared and the axe remained on the boat floor.

"Uh oh... I'm next." Dave realized.

The killer nodded and stepped from his boat to Dave's. He picked the axe off the ground and swung it at Dave causing white light to absorb the teen.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I did one nice thing for Dave and then I get booted from the challenge." Sky said. "I wonder if the universe is trying to send me a message."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn was still rowing for his life

"How far out do we have to get before the challenge is done?" Scott wondered.

"Don't care, just wanna avoid dying." Shawn said.

"Y'know... I just realized something." Scott remarked.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"Well... If the killer got you before it got me that'd make me winner by default." Scott remarked.

"Oh come on, you're not really going to do that, are you?" Shawn asked. "That's not a fair way to win."

"True. But it's a way to win." Scott replied.

The killer's boat rammed into the back of their rowboat and caused the both of them to fall over.

"Well, this is it." Scott remarked.

Scott grabbed on to Shawn's arm and tried to pull him.

"Oh come on, you can't be serious!" Shawn exclaimed in disbelief.

The killer stepped from his boat into theirs. Scott pulled Shawn in front of him and held him in place.

"You have got to be kidding!" Shawn screamed as he tried to break free of Scott's grip.

"If it makes you feel better this isn't personal." Scott said.

"Not really!" Shawn replied in a panic.

The killer brought down his axe and as soon as it hit Shawn's chest he disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Thanks Shawn, I'll see you later." Scott remarked.

Scott stood up and dodged the swing of the killer's axe. He leaped from the boat and into the water. He began swimming but soon found that he was glowing a white light.

"Aw yeah, looks like I win!" Scott cheered. "In you face everyone!"

Scott was absorbed by a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Did I deserve to win?" Scott rhetorically asked. "Probably not. Do I care? No, I don't."

* * *

Back in the real world, Scott was the last of the contestants to come out of the virtual world.

"Ah, good to be back." Scott said as he looked around the room.

"That was a total jerk move." Shawn stated.

"Hey, don't like you wouldn't have done the same thing." Scott said. "Anyway, I won, right?"

"Indeed you did!" Chris announced. "Scott, you're safe from elimination tonight. The rest of you, go eat something and decide who you wanna vote for. Because all of you are in jeopardy of becoming the next person to ride the Lame-o-sine."

"I still think Scott winning is majorly unfair." Shawn said.

"I'd like to sha-second that." Lightning added.

"There's no rule saying he _couldn't_ do the things he did." Chris stated. "So, I'll allow it. Now that we've got all that sorted out, go eat and talk about voting or whatever it is you like to do."

Later in the mess hall, the contestants had gathered and were each eating a plate of orange mush. None of them bothered asking what was in it. The camera focused in on the table that Scott and Dave were seated at.

"Nice work on the challenge, Scott." Dave remarked. "So this is the part where we vote for Sky, right?"

"Not so fast, Dave." Scott replied. "Let's keep our options open."

"Seriously? You do this to me every time." Dave said. "Just let me be happy and vote her out."

"Don't be such a baby, okay. You gotta think strategically." Scott insisted. "There are bigger threats out there."

"Name one." Dave requested.

"How about Shawn?" Scott said. "The guy seems a little scatterbrained but he's gotta be smart to have made it this far with only _Lightning_ as an ally."

"But I really wanna vote for Sky." Dave whined.

"C'mon Dave, be mature about this." Scott told him. "It'd make better strategical sense to vote for Shawn."

"Ugh, fine. You're in charge..." Dave grumbled before lowering his voice to mutter to himself. "I'll get Sky one of these days."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I'm trying to hold off on voting for Sky for as long as possible." Scott explained. "That's the whole reason we're in an alliance and he'll be a lot harder to control once if she's eliminated."

* * *

The camera in the mess hall moved over to the table that DJ, Sierra, and Topher were at.

"Wow, we did _not_ do good at the challenge today." Topher remarked.

"I thought I did okay." Sierra said.

"Yeah, well, me and DJ got murdered pretty bad." Topher replied.

"I'd rather we didn't talk about it." DJ requested. "I feel like I'm gonna be having nightmares about this for weeks."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad." Topher said.

"I dunno I think I agree." Sierra admitted. "That smiley guy is gonna be in my head for a while."

"You guys think we should talk about votes or whatever?" DJ asked.

"Nah, I think we're good." Topher casually said while taking a bite of his meal.

"You sure?" DJ asked. "Talking about the votes seems kinda important."

"I feel like we're all thinking, like, relatively the same thing." Sierra agreed with Topher.

"All right, if you two really think so..." DJ trailed off, sounding unsure.

"It'll all be fine, trust me." Topher said.

"Yeah, what he said." Sierra added.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I'm trying to cultivate a casual, laid back personality." Topher explained. "People love it. Finale, here I come!"

* * *

The camera panned over to the table that Sky, Lightning, and Shawn were talking at as they occasionally tried to eat their meals.

"Man... This food sucks." Lightning remarked as he chewed his orange mush.

"Sometimes I don't know why I bothering trying to eat." Sky agreed.

"Let's try to focus on something else." Shawn suggested. "Like who to vote for, maybe."

"Sha-yeah!" Lightning cheered. "That's a great idea. How 'bout it, new girl?"

"Uh, yeah, of course." Sky said. "Shawn, who do you think we should vote for."

"Well instinct wise, I say Scott." Shawn stated. "But strategy wise, I say we need to look at this from all angles."

"I dunno, going for Scott seems like the best angle." Sky said. "I mean, after Amy he's probably the most threatening person left in the game. Who else is there?"

"What about sha-Dave?" Lightning asked.

"Uh, what?" Sky asked, seeming legitimately confused. "I mean, I don't like him. At all. But strategically speaking, it makes more sense to go for someone else."

"Now hold on, Lightning might have a point." Shawn said. "Let's think about this. If Dave can make it this far he's probably a stronger player than he's letting on. And it might just be a mistake to let him float on past us here."

"See, this guy knows what he's talkin' about." Lightning stated.

"Fine, I'll think about it." Sky said. "I'm just not sure though..."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Gonna be honest, I'd like this new alliance I'm in better if Lightning wasn't there." Sky admitted.

* * *

The scene changed to later that night at the elimination ceremony. Chris got up on stage and looked over the contestants in the bleachers.

"So, how do you all feel about today's spooky challenge?" Chris asked.

"Terrified." DJ stated.

"That's just what I wanted to hear." Chris said.

"Can we get to the voting booth now?" Sky requested.

"Indeed we can." Chris replied. "Remember, Scott is off the table tonight. But you can vote for anyone else you feel like. So get in the voting confessional and have fun!"

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photo of Shawn.

"End of the line for you, zombie boy." Scott confidently stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ crossed out a picture of Sierra.

"I don't have much faith in this 'Alliance' I got with Sierra and Topher." DJ explained. "So I voted for one of them at random."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over one of Lightning's pictures.

"Seriously, this thing I have with Shawn would be a lot better if Lightning wasn't there." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave took a photo of Shawn and crossed it out.

"I swear, I'd better get to vote for Sky soon." Dave said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning showed a crossed-out photo of Dave to the camera.

"This is a smart move. That's why it was my idea." Lightning boasted.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher drew an X over a photograph of Lightning.

"Lightning's expendable and he annoys me." Topher explained. "Simple as that."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Shawn)**

Shawn crossed out a picture of Dave.

"Hate to say it, but I gotta go with Lightning on this." Shawn said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

"I thought I had some ideas but I just can't decide who to vote for." Sierra admitted. "Maybe Lightning, maybe Shawn... I just don't know yet."

* * *

The scene cut to Chris getting back on stage after the votes.

"All right, you know how it goes." Chris said. "I counted the votes and now I say who's safe and such. Scott, Sky, Topher, and DJ, nobody voted for you. You get statuettes as a prize."

Chris threw the four of them their Gilded Chris Awards.

"I'm going to give out two more awards now." Chris said. "Whoever's left will be tonight's bottom two. And the next awards go to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sierra and Lightning!"

Chris tossed the two of them their awards.

"Hooray!" Sierra cheered.

"I sha-knew I'd be fine." Lightning stated.

"All right, and now we've got tonight's bottom two." Chris said. "Shawn, Dave, only one of you will remain after this last statue is handed out. Whoever doesn't get it receives a nice leisurely limo ride right the hell outta here. And the final award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Dave!"

Chris threw Dave the final award.

"Phew... Almost thought I was done for..." Dave sighed.

"Sorry, bro." Lightning said to Shawn. "I'll be sure to win it for ya."

"It's fine. I guess it was my time." Shawn remarked. "See you guys later."

"Oh god, I'm alone in an alliance with Lightning..." Sky whispered to herself.

"See you guys later." Shawn stood up and walked out of the bleachers.

Shawn walked down the red carpet and entered the limousine. He noticed the camera in there and looked into it.

"Well, I don't have much to say if I'm being honest." Shawn admitted. "I guess it sucks to be eliminated. But y'know, I can email Jasmine and stuff now. Can we just get this car moving?"

The camera cut back to outside as the limo drove off. Once it was gone, Chris walked to the edge of the red carpet and looked into the camera.

"Well folks, that does it for this episode. We're down from eight to seven." Chris told the camera. "Which of the remaining seven will go next? Which of our three alliances will be broken up? Tune in next time to find out. On Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** Topher, DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

Amy the Bad Twin (9th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (8th Place)

 **First Votes:**

Scott: Shawn

Dave: Shawn

Lightning: Dave

Shawn: Dave

Sky: Lightning

Sierra: Shawn

Topher: Lightning

DJ: Sierra

 **Results:**

Shawn: 3 Votes

Dave: 2 Votes

Lightning: 2 Votes

Sierra: 1 Vote

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. Again, super sorry about the long wait between chapters. I guess time kinda just got away from me. I'll try to get the next one up sooner. Anyway, that about does it for this chapter. But keep an eye out for the next one. As for the elimination, I eliminated Shawn because I like his character but had more plans for other characters. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.**


	20. A Story of Toys

**And welcome back. Hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long this time. What can I say, I'm a busy guy. Anyway, I don't have much to say to open this up so let's just jump right into my responses to reviews:**

 **Nicky Haugh:** As usual, thanks.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Thanks for the review, as usual.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thanks. Shawn being eliminated in the horror challenge was unintentional but you're right, it is fitting.

 **Elenamartinez:** I only noticed this review just now, sorry. But to answer your question, now I guess.

 **That covers just about everything. Hope you enjoy the chapter now.**

* * *

"Last time, on Total Drama Champions. We sent our contestants back to camp. But not to the fun, happy kind. The kind where you get murdered with an axe in the dead of night. In fact, our slasher challenge ended the virtual lives of everyone except Scott who was declared the winner. And in the end, Shawn ended up being the one to go for the second time. And this time around, he will not be coming back. Soon, he won't be the only one. Who'll be the next to go? The only way for you to find out is to watch more, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

The sun was rising over the abandoned film lot Total Drama Champions was shot on and the contestants had, as usual, gone to go get some breakfast. The groups at the tables could be divided into the table that had Topher, Sierra, and DJ, the table occupied by Sky and Lightning, and Scott and Dave's table. The camera focused on Sky and Lightning's table.

"Man, ain't you bummed about Shawn getting the boot last night?" Lightning remarked.

"You don't know the half of it." Sky half-mumbled, half-spoke.

"Totally sucks, right. I say we figure out who was behind it and eliminate 'em back." Lightning suggested. "I'm thinkin' DJ was behind it."

"Uh… DJ, really?" Sky asked. "He seems like a nice guy."

"I dunno man, maybe it's some kinda act and he's been mastermindin' this thing from the start." Lightning theorized.

"You realize he used to be eliminated, right?" Sky pointed out.

"Well, he started mastermindin', stopped, and now he's back at it." Lightning said. "I dunno, just an idea."

"Let's just focus on breakfast." Sky suggested.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Having to deal with Lightning without Shawn around is _not_ fun. At all." Sky stated. "Don't know how much longer I can stand it."

* * *

The camera panned over to Topher, Sierra, and DJ's table.

"I feel like those two are talking to me." DJ remarked, looking over at Sky and Lightning's table.

"You're being paranoid. It's fine." Topher replied.

"How are you so relaxed all the time?" DJ asked.

"I dunno, guess it must be genetic or something." Topher said nonchalantly. "Like, an inherit coolness gene or something."

"Is he serious?" DJ whispered to Sierra.

"I dunno, I believe it though." Sierra replied.

"Really?" DJ asked.

Sierra nodded.

"C'mon DJ, don't doubt me. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Topher stated.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"I have no idea what I'm doing." Topher admitted. "I like to cultivate an image, strategy, not really my thing. I barely got to know anyone back on Pahkitew Island actually. Mostly was focused on replacing Chris back then."

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"Still a little uneasy about my alliance with Sierra and Topher." DJ remarked. "I didn't even wanna come back in the first place."

* * *

The camera moved itself over to Scott and Dave's table.

"So, um, we're going to get rid of Sky next, right?" Dave asked.

"Wow, you are serious persistent." Scott remarked.

"Of course I'm persistent, Sky's the whole reason I'm in this alliance." Dave pointed out.

"We'll get to her when the time is right." Scott said. "Don't worry, I have plans."

"I hope those plans are soon." Dave replied.

"You have heard of patience? Try to have it once in a while, okay." Scott remarked. "Honestly, sometimes I feel like a babysitter."

"Sorry..." Dave murmured quietely.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"I feel like I'm slowly losing my grip on Dave." Scott admitted. "That is not good."

* * *

Quite suddenly, the doors to the cafeteria swung open and Chris strutted into the room with Chef following him.

"Hello everyone, I'm back!" Chris cheered. "Guess what time it is? That's right, challenge ti-"

"Why aren't you using the loudspeakers?" Topher interrupted.

"I felt like changing things up." Chris stated.

"And the PA system's busted again." Chef added.

"Shut up, Chef. I'm trying to sound _smooth_." Chris said before addressing the contestants again. "Like I said, it's challenge time! So come follow the two of us down to the warehouse and the challenge will begin! This way, please."

"But I didn't even finish eating." Sky said.

"Do you _want_ to finish eating though?" Chris replied.

"Fair enough." Sky remarked, looking down at the disgusting food on her plate.

The camera cut to later with Chris and Chef leading all the remaining contestants into the warehouse that held the virtual reality equipment.

"So, you know what to do, go sit down." Chris instructed them.

"You're supposed to explain the challenge first." Chef whispered to his co-host.

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" Chris snapped back.

"But he's right." Sky pointed out. "You always explain the challenge first."

"Oh... Right." Chris remembered. "Well in that case, I will do that part."

"Do I at least get an apology?" Chef asked.

"No, no you do not." Chris stated before turning around to face the contestant. "So, today's big challenge. What's the deal? Good question. Our challenge will be based on none other than the whimsical world of Toy Story!"

"Hold on, are you legally allowed to do that?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I thought you weren't allowed to base challenges off of specific movies." Dave said.

"True, but we got a whole bunch of new sponsors just recently so now I can do almost anything I want with these challenges." Chris explained.

"So what are the rules for this?" Topher asked.

"I was getting to that. Be patient." Chris said. "If you remember the first film, the main characters, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, were trapped in the house of Sid at one point. Basically, you'll be reliving that part of the film. You're going to be toy sized and whichever one of you breaks out first, wins."

"Sounds simple." Sierra remarked.

"Why do people still say that." Chris wondered. "It never is. Anyway, get into the machine and we can let the fun begin."

All the contestants followed the host's orders and sat down in the chairs that had been set up around the room. Chris and Chef went to the machine in the middle of the room.

"Okay Chef, do your thing." Chris said.

"You bet." Chef said as he began presseing several buttons on the machine. "Have fun in the virtual world, y'all."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"You know something, I still can't get over how _awesome_ all of this is." Topher admitted.

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants found themselves at a deminished size standing on what appeared to be a table in someone's bedroom. In this false world, all the contestants features had been altered to resemble toys with plastic skin and arms and legs that bent like an action figure.

"Ugh, where are we?" DJ wondered as they looked around.

"Someone's house, clearly." Sierra said. "And Chris said we need to get out of the house. So let's do that!"

"Whoa, being a doll feels really weird." Lightning realized, looking at his own plastic hands. "Freaky, right?"

"Yeah, gotta agree there." Sky admitted. "This is weird."

"So, um, guys, how do we get out of here?" DJ asked as he got closer to Sierra and Topher.

"Same as always. The key's teamwork." Topher stated. "And strong leadership. From me."

"That goes for us too." Scott whispered to Dave.

"Sha-woo! Let's get goin' Sky!" Lightning cheered as he put an arm around Sky. "We're gonna win!"

"Yeah, great..." Sky sarcastically muttered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Sky's been actin' a little different since Shawn's been gone." Lightning remarked. "I miss the dude too, but she's gotta focus."

* * *

All three of the alliances had split off and gone in different directions in order to escape the house. Lightning and Sky stood at the edge of the giant sized table they were on, looking down at the carpeted floor below them.

"So... Um, how do we get down from here exactly?" Sky asked.

"Simple." Lightning stated. "Just jump."

"You realize how high up we are, right?" Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're made of plastic or whatever." Lightning argued. "We'll survive."

"Tell you what, how about you go first?" Sky suggested.

"Sha-yeah, I can do that." Lightning replied. "All right, here goes nothin'."

Lightning took several steps back and ran forward. He leaped forward off the table and plummeted straight down at the floor. Lightning slammed straight into the floor, bounced a little, and lay in place for a few moments.

"Uh... Are you okay?" Sky called down to her partner.

Lightning slowly got up from the ground and looked up at Sky.

"I'm sha-fine!" Lightning cheered. "Here, jump on down and I'll catch ya!"

"All right, here it goes." Sky remarked.

Sky backed up a couple steps and took a running jump forwards. Lightning held his arms out in front of him in anticipation of Sky's landing. Unfortunately for Sky, she ended up falling to the ground just a foot or so to the left of Lightning.

"Dang, so close." Lightning remarked.

"Ow..." Sky muttered.

"Here, lemme help ya." Lightning offered as he held out a hand to her.

"All right... Let's hope things are easier from here..." Sky remarked as she got up from the ground.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I wonder... Would it be easier to work with Lightning or vote him out?" Sky pondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave were still up on the table and in the midst of trying to figure out how to get down.

"Okay... So, what's the fastest way out of his house?" Dave asked.

"Well, there are windows. We could jump out the window." Scott suggested. "We're toys, we'd probably survive that."

"I dunno... Still sounds a little dodgy." Dave remarked. "Any other ideas."

"Front door's a good bet. We just need to get down from this table first." Scott said. "Let's find something to to climb down from first."

"Like what? I don't see anything." Dave replied.

"You need to learn to be inventive." Scott stated. "Here, let's climb up onto that window sill, go over to that standing lamp and shimmy down it."

"Huh, you make it sound so easy." Dave remarked.

"Because it _is_ easy." Scott replied. "Now follow me."

Scott went over to the nearby window sill and pulled himself up onto it. He extended a hand down to Dave and pulled his partner up.

"Thanks." Dave replied as they began to walk along the window sill. "Hey, while we're kinda just walking around can we talk about Sky?"

"No Sky talk during challenges." Scott stated. "I need your head in the game."

"Oh... Okay." Dave said.

The two of them reached the end of the window sill where a lamp was waiting for them.

"Here, I'll go first and then you copy me." Scott said.

Scott leaped forward and grabbed on to the metal pole that was the standing lamp. He slid down all the way to the ground and then looked up at Dave.

"Okay, now you come down to me!" Scott called up.

Dave nodded and jumped forwards. However instead of grabbing the lamp he ended up slamming into it and then falling off. He fell to the ground right next to Scott.

"You made it look so easy..." Dave muttered.

"C'mon, let's keep going." Scott replied.

Dave got up from the ground and began following Scott through the house.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I'm starting to get the impression that this alliance may be a bit one sided." Dave remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, DJ, Sierra, and Topher had already gotten of the table and were walking around the bedroom.

"So... Where are we going?" DJ asked.

"I feel like you ask that a lot." Sierra remarked.

"I like knowing things, okay." DJ replied.

"Well in that case, I dunno where we're going. I was following Topher." Sierra stated.

"Oh... Great..." DJ trailed off.

"Don't worry DJ, Sierra, I know exactly what I'm doing." Topher claimed. "Out of the bedroom, down the stairs, out the front door, we win!"

"You make that sound so easy." DJ said.

"Because _it is_ easy." Topher replied. "Now follow me, please."

The three of them continued across the bedroom floor. At their shrunken size, it took much longer to go across the room than it normally would. As they walked, DJ's ears picked up on a sniffing noise.

"Guys, do you hear that?" DJ asked.

The other two listened as well.

"Oh yeah, I do..." Sierra realized.

"Why do I feel like this happens to us a lot." Topher remarked. "Like the whole, 'Listening for something ominous' thing. It happens, like, a weird amount, right?"

Before anyone could reply to Topher, an angry looking dog bolted into the room and charged at the three of them.

"Oh no..." DJ trailed off.

"Everyone, stick together and run!" Sierra shrieked.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I feel like my team isn't that close with each other." Sierra remarked. "Nah, that doesn't sound right. I'm just being paranoid."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lightning and Sky had made it out of the bedroom and were in the upstairs hallways just outside of it.

"Man, I'm bored. Wanna talk about anything?" Lightning asked.

"I'd rather focus on winning." Sky said.

"But that's boring. Don'cha got any hobbies?" Lightning remarked.

"I do, but that's really more talk for after the challenge." Sky told him.

"You gotta learn how to unwind. I'm laid back and look how far it's gotten me." Lightning said.

"Fine, whatever, if you say so." Sky replied. "I'll try it in the next challenge, okay."

"It's a sha-deal." Lightning said.

The two of them silently continued towards the stairs for a couple moments.

"Man, this is sha-boring. How do ya do this?" Lightning remarked.

Before Sky could respond both of them heard the sound of a door opening.

"Uh oh, that's probably the people who lives here. Quick, act like you're a toy." Sky told Lightning.

"Why?" Lightning asked.

"It's what they did in the movies, just do it!" Sky urged him.

Sky and Lightning let their bodies go limp, or as limp as their stiff plastic bodies would allow. A boy about ten years old walks out into the hallway and sees Lightning and Sky.

"Who's this guy?" Lightning whispered to Sky.

"I don't know, just play it cool." Sky said.

"What's that mean?" Lightning asked.

"It means be quiet." Sky whispered back.

"Oh cool, new toys." The boy said.

The boy went to the toy versions of Sky and Lightning and picked them up.

"Aw man, they look boring." The boy complained. "They don't look like kung fu guys or wizards. Hmm... I know something fun I can do."

The boy walked over to the stairs with the toy contestants still in hand.

"Let's see if you can fly!" The boy cheered.

The kid chucked the two Lightning and Sky down the stairs and they landed right on the ground floor.

"Aw man, boring." The boy said.

The boy walked away from the area.

"Is he gone?" Lightning asked.

"Yes..." Sky muttered.

"Well, at least we're down here now." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"I'll give Lightning one thing. He sure is optimistic." Sky said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Scott and Dave had made it out of the bedroom and were in the hallways just outside of it now.

"Where are we going?" Dave asked.

"Stop talking so much, you're giving me a headache." Scott said.

"But this is virtual reality, how can you get a headache?" Dave pointed out.

"I was using hyperbole." Scott replied. "Just be quiet, it's getting on my nerves."

"Sorry, sorry..." Dave lowered his voice. "Hold on, do you hear people panicking?"

"Oh god dammit, whatever's about to happen is gonna suck." Scott realized.

Scott looked behind him and saw Sierra, Topher, and DJ running towards him and Dave.

"Yep, that can't be a good sign." Scott remarked before looking over at Dave. "Dave, we might wanna start running."

Dave looked behind him and saw the trio of contestants approaching him.

"Oh no!" Dave exclaimed. "What did they do?"

"I don't know, and don't wanna find out." Scott stated. "C'mon, let's go!"

Sierra, DJ, and Topher caught up to Scott and Dave just say they started running.

"Oh hey guys, sorry about leading the dog to you." Sierra casually remarked.

"Is that why you're running?" Scott asked.

"Yep, big scary dog." Sierra said.

The dog made it closer to the fleeing contestants and bit down on Dave. It didn't hurt him but was still an odd sensation. The others kept running as Dave was gnawed on by the dogs.

"Let go of me you stupid mutt!" Dave yelled at the dog.

The dog growled and spat Dave back out. He slid across the floor where he slammed into Topher, Sierra and DJ, toppling them over.

"Ugh... How am I able to feel slimy? This is a virtual world..." Dave groaned.

"Ask questions later, Dave." Scott said as he helped Dave up from the ground. "I see the stairs, let's go."

"Thanks..." Dave muttered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"As much as I don't really understand him sometimes, I really feel like I'd be lost without Scott." Dave remarked.

* * *

Sierra, Topher, and DJ all still lay on the ground as the dog bared down on them.

"C'mon guys, let's get up!" DJ urged the other as he began to stand.

"I'm going at my own pace... And still trying to figure out what just happened..." Topher muttered as he stood up again. "Is it possible to feel dizzy in a simulation?"

"I dunno... I feel dizzy." Sierra said as she stood up as well.

"Guys, dog! Keep running!" DJ reminded them.

"Oh, right!" Sierra exclaimed as she began running again. "Gotta keep going!"

The three of them scrambled away from the dog as it continued to chase them.

"You know, I keep telling myself, these challenges can't get weirder but they always do." DJ remarked.

"Yeah, isn't it great!" Topher cheered.

"No... Not really..." DJ muttered.

"Oh hey guys, I see the stairs!" Sierra exclaimed in excitement.

"Phew, looks like we're home free." Topher said.

Topher's confidence became short lived when the dog managed to catch up and ram straight into them. All three of them flew down the stairs, tumbling all the way.

"Maybe I spoke too soon!" Topher shouted as he fell.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Sometimes I feel like the universe is against me." Topher remarked. "I'm being serious by the way. When the world's virtual and controlled by Chris, that's a real possibility."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sky and Lightning were still down in the foyer of the house staring up at the locked front door.

"Damn... How do we get past this one?" Lightning wondered.

"I don't think we can." Sky remarked. "We'll have to find another way out."

"What other way do we have out?" Lightning wondered.

"I dunno... Window, I guess." Sky suggested.

"I guess so, how do we get to a window?" Lightning asked.

"That's a good question." Sky said. "Hold on, do you hear that?"

"Aw dang it, I hate it when people say that." Lightning said.

Lightning and Sky looked behind them and saw Dave and Scott making it to the bottom of the stairs behind them.

"Oh hey guys, what's up." Dave said before noticing the closed door. "Oh dammit, the door's closed!"

"Calm down Dave, we'll just have to find a window." Scott told him.

"Oh hey, I said the same thing." Sky remarked.

"Hold on guys, I hear somethin' else now." Lightning spoke up.

All four fell quiet and heard the increasingly loud sounds of thumping and screaming.

"The hell is that?" Scott asked.

Suddenly, DJ, Siera, and Topher fell to the bottom of the stairs and ladned in a big pile.

"Oh hey guys." Sierra waved from the ground. "Looks like we're all caught up."

"What happened to you guys?" Sky asked.

"Angry dog..." DJ muttered. "Oh no, why is the door closed."

"Don't worry team, we'll just have to use a door." Topher said as he stood up.

"Man, how is it that all of us catch up to each other no matter what?" Lightning wondered.

"I dunno, how about you figure that out after we win?" Sky replied.

"Oh yeah, you got it. See y'all later!" Lightning cheered. "Sha-woo!"

Lightning and Sky ran off together, presumably to find a window.

"Well, guess the rest of us should split up too." Scott said. "C'mon, Dave."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Y'know I think Lightning's right, it gets kinda awkward when we all catch up with each other." Topher remarked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dave and Scott had gone into the living room with the intention of escaping.

"All right, I see an open window." Scott said, pointing up to living room window which had been opened just a crack.

"Can we fit through there?" Dave asked. "Seems like a tight fit."

"Don't question my judgement, okay." Scott replied. "I'm the leader here, I know what I'm doing."

"Fine..." Dave muttered.

"Sha-sweet! Look at the window!" Lightning's voice cheered from behind them.

Dave and Scott turned around and saw Lightning and Sky coming towards them.

"Dammit! Stop following us!" Scott exclaimed.

"Sorry, bro. We wanna escape too." Lightning stated. "C'mon Sky, let's catch them all later."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Scott)**

"Have I ever done anything to deserve having things not work out my way?" Scott wondered before taking a moment to consider what he'd just said. "... Okay, maybe that as a stupid question."

* * *

Sky and Lightning had dashed away from Scott and Dave and managed to climb up a couch and onto the window sill.

"Let's do this, Sky! Freedom's close now!" Lightning cheered.

"All right Lightning, don't get too excited." Sky told him.

"Sorry girl, I just feel like we're 'bout to get out is all." Lightning said. "Nothin' can stop us! Woo!"

"Oh, don't speak so soon." A male voice from behind them spoke up.

Sky and Lightning turned around and saw Topher, Sierra, and DJ on the window sill with them.

"Man, I wish people would stop sneaking up on each other." Lightning remarked.

"We're getting to that window first!" Topher cheered. "C'mon, guys!"

"Um, all right, I guess." DJ unenthusiastically remarked.

"Whee! Let's go!" Sierra cheered.

All three of them running along the window sill towards the exit.

"C'mon Lightning, let's get out of here before they do." Sky told her partner.

"Oh, right." Lightning said. "Let's sha-go!"

Lightning and Sky began running towards the window with their three adversaries beginning to catch up.

"We can make it... We can make it..." Lightning muttered to himself as he got closer to the window.

"C'mon guys, hurry!" Sierra encouraged her teammates.

Lightning reached the slightly cracked open window first and dived through. Unfortunately, his plastic body became wedged in the window.

"Sha-no!" Lightning exclaimed. "Quick, Sky, help me out!"

"Right away." Sky said as she reached Lightning. "Just a little shove should do it."

Sky pushed Lightning until he was through the window.

"I made it! Uh oh..." Lightning said before noticing he was falling. "This ain't good..."

Lightning fell to the ground and landed in the lawn outsite.

"Did I win?" Lightning wondered as he started to stand up.

Lightning began to glow in a blue light.

"I did!" Lightning cheered. "I sha-won!"

The light then flashed and Lightning disappeared.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Woo! Keep this up and I can say hello to one million bucks!" Lightning cheered.

* * *

Back in the real world, all the contestants had just come out of the machine to be greeted by Chris approaching them.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Chris cheered. "How was it in there? Fun? Scary? Either way, it makes for great TV."

"So, uh, I won, right?" Lightning asked.

"Yep, that's the gist of it." Chris said.

"I feel like he's won a disproportionate amount." Scott remarked. "Am I imagining things?"

"I feel like you are." Dave told him.

"Okay, we know what to do by now." Sky spoke up. "Head to the cafeteria, get some food, and go do the elimination thing, right?"

"Yes... That's correct." Chris said. "But I'd prefer it if people didn't steal my lines. Whatever, go get your meal."

The scene changed to just a little bit later with all the contestants gathered in the mess hall. The camera focused on the table Scott and Dave had sat down at.

"So, where was I?" Scott asked. "Oh, right, the plan. My plan is to vote out Topher."

"Why him?" Dave questioned.

"Think about it, he's got zero talents but he is in the final seven instead of someone like that Jockette." Scott reasoned. "He's trying to float past our radar. But I won't let that happen."

"I'm not so sure about this. Maybe we should go for someone else." Dave suggested.

"Oh no, we are not going for your ideas again." Scott told him. "We did it last time and the time before that. And neither time did it work."

"Can't you just give me a chance?" Dave pleaded. "You aren't exactly the best planner either. Your plan to win the challenge ended up not going so well."

"Look, we're voting for Topher and that's final." Scott told him.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"All right next time I'm taking charge." Dave stated. "That's final!"

* * *

The camera moved over from them to the table Topher, Sierra, and DJ were at.

"Aw man... Can't believe we lost today." Sierra remarked. "It felt so close too."

"I feel like you say that a lot." DJ observed. "Don't know for certain though."

"I just wish we'd win more is all." Sierra said.

"Don't worry, with me in charge you can't go wrong." Topher stated.

"You say that all the time, but all we do is lose." DJ pointed out.

"Are you questioning my leadership?" Topher asked.

"Well, um... Yeah, kinda." DJ admitted.

"All right, fair enough." Topher said. "Let's just finish our food quietely then if you don't want to listen to me."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Topher)**

"Y'know I kinda just realized we didn't talk about the votes." Topher realized. "Uh... Oops."

* * *

The camera panned to the table Sky and Lightning were at.

"Sha-woo! I won it!" Lightning cheered. "I'm the best!"

"Lightning, mind coming back down to reality?" Sky requested. "Please."

"Oh, yeah, sorry Sky. I'm just super psyched." Lightning said.

"Yeah, I can tell." Sky replied. "But let's be serious, okay."

"About what?" Lightning asked.

"Listen, I feel like our alliance isn't working out." Sky told him.

"Sha-what? You're talkin' all crazy." Lighting said. "You're jokin', right?"

"No, I really don't. I only joined this alliance because Shawn was here. But without him, I don't have any reason to stay here." Sky said.

"Alright, if you say so." Lightning calmly replied. "We ain't in an alliance anymore."

"Really?" Sky asked.

"Sha-yeah, really." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Huh... That went better than I expected." Sky remarked. "Why am I suspicious."

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"Sky's actin' all crazy. She'd better come back around to bein' normal or else she'd outta here." Lightning said.

* * *

The scene cut to later with Chris up on the stage looking out over the contestants.

"All right, you know how it goes, get to the confessional and vote. Etcetera, etcetera." Chris spoke quickly.

"Jeez, why are you in a bad mood all of a sudden?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, you usually are upset when we rush you and new you're rushing us." DJ pointed out.

"I'm in a hurry tonight, okay." Chris explained. "Now get in there and vote!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott held up a photo of Topher with an X over it.

"Not gonna miss you." Scott stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning drew an X over a picture of Sierra.

"I still don't get why Sky split off our alliance but for now I'm givin' her a second chance." Lightning said. "So instead, I'm votin' for purple hair lady."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra crossed out a picture of DJ.

"You kinda sound like you don't wanna be here." Sierra explained. "And I like you, so I wanna help you out."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave drew an X over a photograph of Topher.

"I don't agree with this, I'm just going along with this because Scott scares me." Dave explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky crossed out one of Scott photographs.

"Against my better judgement, I'm voting for Scott instead of Lightning." Sky said. "Lightning seemed surprisingly okay with me breaking off the alliance so instead I'm voting for the biggest threat."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher held a crossed out picture of Scott to the camera.

"Scott's probably the biggest threat left in the game. And therefore, the best person to target." Topher explained.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

"I'm not really a strategic guy." DJ explained. "I don't really know who to vote for. I think I'm just gonna do this at random. The question is who to vote for."

* * *

Chris walked back up on stage and went over to the podium.

"Okay, votes have been counted up." Chris told the contestants. "So, let's go over everyone who's absolutely safe. Dave and Lightning... That's it."

Chris threw the two of them their Gilded Chris Awards.

"Yeah, really thought there'd be more." Chris remarked. "Anyway, for the rest of you, three of you are safe and two of you are in the bottom two. But the three safe ones are..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sierra, DJ, and Sky!"

Chris tossed the mentioned contestants their awards.

"Yes!" Sierra cheered.

"Phew, I was a little worried there." Sky remarked.

"All right, now we're down to just two." Chris said. "Scott, Topher, the final Gilded Chris Award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Neither of you! That's right, we've got another tie vote!"

"Oh come on!" Scott exclaimed. "Now what do we do?"

"Same as we always do." Chris replied. "You all go back into the confessional and vote again. But the catch is you can only vote for Scott or Topher. So have fun with that."

"So we should go vote?" DJ asked.

"Yes you should." Chris replied.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott held a crossed out photo of Topher to the camera.

"Don't have any other options, but I'm still happy if you're eliminated." Scott stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Topher)**

Topher drew an X over one of Scott's pictures.

"Yeah, I don't have any other choices here. But I'll still be pretty happy if you're eliminated." Scott stated.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky showed a picture of Scott with an X over it to the camera.

"Still sticking to this. I don't like Scott at all." Sky said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning held up a crossed out photograph of Topher.

"Well, if I ain't able to vote for Sierra than I guess I'll go for Topher." Lightning said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ drew an X over a picture of Scott.

"Well, since Sky ain't an option anymore it looks like I have to choose between Scott and Topher. But between the two, I vote for Scott." DJ explained. "He seems like way more of a threat than Topher ever could be."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

Sierra held a picture of Topher with an X over it to the camera.

"I'm getting the feeling that Topher doesn't really know what he's doing. And I wanna win. So I guess he has to go." Sierra said. "Sorry Topher, no hard feelings."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

"Y'know, I've been thinking, maybe this tiebreaker is a sign." Dave remarked. "Maybe I could take charge of this game and get rid of Scott. He is holding me down… Yeah, I could do it… Or, I could play it safe and vote for Topher. I don't know yet."

* * *

Chris got back up on stage a little more hurriedly than before and went to his usual podium.

"Okay people, I got the votes back and I'm happy to say somebody's definitely going home now." Chris said. "Scott, Topher, I have one last Gilded Chris Award and the recipient is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Scott!"

Chris threw the final award to Scott.

"Ha! Knew I'd be safe!" Scott cheered.

"Oh come on, I can't be eliminated twice." Topher complained. "That just isn't fair."

"Hey, Jo and Shawn were eliminated twice and now you have the same honour." Chris told him. "Now get over to the Lame-O-Sine and hopefully I'll never have to see you again."

"Fine..." Topher sighed and stood up. "See you all later I guess."

Topher walked out of the bleachers, down the red carpet, and into the limousine. He sat down inside and sighed again.

"I can't think of anything clever to say. I'm just upset I got eliminated twice." Topher said. "Just drive away."

The camera cut to the limo driving away as Chris walked up to the end of the red carpet.

"Yep, not gonna miss that guy." Chris admitted as he stared into the camera. "One down and now six remain. What'll happen next? Stay tuned to find out on, Total Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

Amy the Bad Twin (9th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (8th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (7th Place)

 **Initial Votes:**

Scott: Topher

Dave: Topher

Lightning: Sierra

Sky: Scott

Sierra: DJ

Topher: Scott

DJ: Sky

 **Initial Results:**

Scott: 2 Votes

Topher: 2 Votes

Sierra: 1 Vote

Sky: 1 Vote

DJ: 1 Vote

 **Tiebreaker Votes:**

Scott: Topher

Dave: Topher

Lightning: Topher

Sky: Scott

Sierra: Topher

Topher: Scott

DJ: Scott

 **Tiebreaker Results:**

Topher: 4 Votes

Scott: 3 Votes

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it as usual. If you're wondering why I eliminated Topher, I didn't have much planned for him truth be told. I thought he'd be fun to bring back but I just had more characters that I had actual plot for. Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it and thanks for reading.**


	21. Aftermath IV

**Hey all, sorry this took so long to get up. School's been busy for me. Anyway, before we start here's a quick response to my reviews.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Once again, the theme of the challenge and who was eliminated was a coincidence. But I do agree, it is ironic.

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993:** Yes, that is what it means. We will be having more challenges that are closer to their respective movies in the near future.

 **That about covers it, enjoy the Aftermath.**

* * *

Happy sounding theme music began to play as the words "Total Drama Aftermath" appeared on screen against a blue background.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're back for some Total Drama Aftermath." A deep voiced announcer said. "We're going to be interviewing some more eliminated contestants. And as always, it will be dramatic. Stick around, because this is Total Drama Aftermath."

The title screen disappeared leaving the image on screen as Geoff and Bridgette sitting down on their couch on the Aftermath stage.

"Welcome back everyone!" Bridgette cheered. "It's time for Total Drama Aftermath. We've got five new contestants to interview and-"

"Psst, Bridge, Blaineley isn't here." Geoff whispered to Bridgette.

"I know that." Bridgette whispered back. "I was trying not to draw attention to it and hope she wouldn't show up."

"Yeah, but like, she's a host too. Should one of us go look for her?" Geoff wondered.

"Look, I'm a nice woman. But I have my limits, Geoff." Bridgette said. "I feel like it'd just be better if we did this without Blaineley."

"Yeah, but the producers told me that she helps our dynamic or something like that." Geoff replied. "I feel like I should go look for her."

"Babe, please don't. You don't understand, it'd be so much better if she wasn't here." Bridgette said.

"Uh, yeah, we all collectively agree!" Anne Maria shouted over from the Peanut Gallery.

"I dunno, I wanna make sure she's okay." Geoff replied. "Could ya keep the audience entertained while I look for her? I'm just gonna be checking her dressing room."

"All right, but if she isn't in there promise to not talk about her for the rest of the Aftermath." Bridgette told him.

"It's a deal." Geoff replied, now standing up from the couch. "See ya in a sec."

Geoff walked off stage, leaving Bridgette on the couch by herself.

"So, what do you all want me to talk about?" Bridgette asked the audience and the Peanut Gallery.

Meanwhile, backstage, Geoff walked along the hall with a cameraman following him.

"Okay, Blaineley's dressing room is comin' right up." Geoff explained to the camera. "I'm gonna try to keep it quiet 'n cool. She gets angry. Like, _really_ easily. Don't tell her I said that though."

Geoff stopped in front of a door marked "Blaineley" and knocked on it.

"Uh, yo, Blaineley. You in there?" Geoff asked. "Show already started, we need you to go away."

"Go away…" Blaineley's voice groaned form inside. "I'm busy."

"Listen, Blaineley, we kinda need you out there right now." Geoff explained.

"Ugh… I am _so_ above all of this." Blaineley stated. "I've got so many better things to do with my time."

Geoff pushed open the door and saw Blaineley lying down on the couch in her dressing room.

"Really? 'Cause it just looks like you're trying to take a nap." Geoff said.

"I used to be taken seriously…" Blaineley sighed. "Now I host the after show on some third rate reality TV program."

"Hey, it's not third rate." Geoff said. "We're still, like, y'know, pretty popular."

"I'm not going out there." Blaineley stated. "I'm sick of it."

"But what about the money? I know how much you like money." Geoff told her.

"Hmm… Tempting." Blaineley admitted. "But I'm just not sure…"

"Well, it's like I said to Bridge, the producers say that you add some kinda third element that keep the Aftermaths interesting." Geoff explained.

"Really?" Blaineley asked.

"Yeah, they called it the chaos factor or something. Said you were unpredictable." Geoff explained.

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment." Blaineley remarked.

"So, do you wanna get back out there?" Geoff asked.

"All right, fine. I'll be out in just a second. Need to put on some eyeshadow before I leave." Blaineley said.

Back out on stage, Bridgette was attempting to talk with the Peanut Gallery.

"So if you're a supervillain how come I've never heard of you?" Bridgette asked Max.

"Fool! It's because I haven't found my arch nemesis yet. Once I find someone worth of that title then you'll all fear me!" Max declared.

"Can you please talk to someone else. _Anybody._ " Gwen requested.

"Yeah, I second that." Cody agreed.

"Oh, you just made the revenge list." Max said.

Geoff and Blaineley walked on to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The woman of the hour has arrived!" Blaineley announced.

Blaineley's self-introduction was met by a deafening silence.

"Ingrates…" Blaineley muttered to herself as she walked on over to the couch and sat down.

Geoff sat down next to Bridgette.

"Okay, are we starting for real now?" Bridgette asked.

"Yep, we sure are." Geoff replied.

"Phew, took long enough." Bridgette remarked.

"Let's go ahead and meet our first eliminated contestant." Blaineley said. "Give it up for… Uh, who is it again?"

"Jo." Geoff reminded her.

"Give it up for Jo!" Blaineley announced.

The audience erupted into applause as a less than pleased Jo walked on to stop.

"Oh sure, they clap for _her_ but not _me_." Blaineley bitterly muttered to herself.

Jo grumbled something inaudible to herself as she walked up to the couches and sat down near the trio of hosts.

"So, Jo, what's it like to be back here again?" Geoff asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Jo replied.

"Yeah, must be pretty embarrassing." Blaineley remarked. "I mean, not only were you the first person off this show. But then you got to go back on the show only to be immediately kicked off again."

"Shut up…" Jo muttered.

"I'm sorry about Blaineley taunting you like that." Bridgette said, briefly shooting a glare at Blaineley. "Trust me, I've been eliminated very early before. Twice actually. It isn't fun."

"Oh please, I don't need your sympathy. I'm a tough lady." Jo said.

"Okay, fine. Just trying to help." Bridgette said.

"Just do your stupid interview thing again, okay. I wanna get this over with, ASAP." Jo said.

"Whatever you say, Jo." Geoff said. "First official question is about your feelings on being eliminated."

"But I think you've already made that clear." Blaineley added.

"I have." Jo agreed. "Honestly, I just want to pretend that none of this happened. It's embarrassing that I've been eliminated twice when I barely competed."

"Yep, that's about what I'd say too." Blaineley said.

"Oh, shut up." Jo told her. "Can we move on, please?"

"Sure thing." Bridgette replied. "Time for question number two. If you could improve Total Drama in some way what would it be?"

"I'd make there be actual physical challenges again. All this virtual junk doesn't test me as an athlete." Jo stated. "That's one of the reasons I did so poorly."

"Tell yourself whatever you want." Blaineley remarked.

"Don't antagonize the guest." Bridgette said.

"But it's my thing." Blaineley replied.

"Just hurry up with the other questions, okay." Jo said. "This was tedious enough the first time."

"All right, we get it." Geoff said. "Moving on to question number three. Jo, if you had won the one million dollars what would you do with it?"

"Probably get better equipment for training." Jo replied. "That way I can become the ultimate athlete. Not that I'm not already the strongest person here. But it can't hurt to get stronger."

"I'm pretty sure you're overestimating yourself." Blaineley said. "Haven't met him, but Lightning looks stronger than you."

"What?!" Jo exclaimed in disbelief. "You'd better have not just said that."

"I did. Have you seen his shoulders, they're as big as your head." Blaineley went on.

"Don't let her get to you. She does this to everyone." Bridgette told Jo.

"Just move on, okay." Jo replied. "C'mon, ask me another question."

"You got it." Geoff replied. "One last question. So Jo, if you could describe your time on the show in one sentence what would it be?"

"Too short and surrounded by people I don't like." Jo replied.

"Sounds just like my latest film 'Axe Attack'... Coming soon." Blaineley said.

"Was that 'sposed to be a self-burn or self-promotion?" Geoff asked.

"A little bit of both." Blaineley replied. "Anyway, that's all the time we have for you. Jo, get over to the Peanut Gallery."

"Glaldy." Jo said, standing up. "God, I swear, this is the last time I go on this show."

Jo walked away from the couches and sat down in the Peanut Gallery.

"Moving on, up next we have..." Blaineley trailed off. "Guys, who's next?"

"Did you remember _anything_?" Bridgette asked.

"Bits and pieces." Blaineley said.

"Anyway, we've got Amy up next." Geoff told her.

"In that case..." Blaineley turned to the audience. "Everbody, get ready for Amy! Here she comes now!"

Amy walked on to stage as the audience politely clapped at her entrance. She shot a glare at them as she walked causing the applause to die down a bit.

"Seriously, they're clapping for _her_ too?" Blaineley asked. "How do _I_ not get any applause."

"Ugh, shut up." Amy muttered as she made it over to the couch and sat down.

"Hmmph, rude." Blaineley remarked.

"Oh please, that's real rich coming from you. I've seen this show before. I know what you're like." Amy said.

"Oh no, there's two of them now..." Bridgette muttered to herself.

"Uh, so, Amy, it's time to answer some questions." Geoff told her.

"Oh, yay, sounds fun." Amy sarcastically replied. "C'mon, let's hurry it up."

"Just for that, I'm gonna draw it out for as long as possible." Blaineley said. "Question number one, how do you feel about being eliminated."

"Not fun." Amy stated. "Next."

"C'mon, I'm sure you got more to say." Geoff said.

"I was supposed to be the big winner here. How come I got kicked off?" Amy said. "Now who's supposed to be the villain of this season."

"At least you're honest about it." Blaineley remarked.

"Be quiet." Amy replied. "Nobody likes you."

"Same could be said about you." Blaineley said.

"C'mon Blaineley, let's keep on track." Geoff suggested.

"Fine, fine." Blaineley replied.

"Yes, thank you." Amy remarked.

"What's our next question?" Blaineley asked.

"Do you seriously not remember?" Bridgette replied.

"Just ask it, okay." Blaineley said. "I can't be bothered to remember everything."

"Alright, fine." Bridgette said, now turning to Amy. "So Amy, here's our next question. We all know you've got a sister at home. How do you think she feels about seeing you get eliminated?"

"Oh, I just bet she loves this." Amy replied. "She's a loser who's terrible at everything so seeing me lose for once must feel great for her."

"Okay, wow, that got way more personal than I was expecting." Geoff remarked.

"Yeah, that was just... So mean spirited." Bridgette said.

"It's what I do. Did any of you even see the last season?" Amy replied.

"No, not really." Geoff said.

"Well, this is what I do." Amy said. "Anyway, are we done here or do you have any more stupid questions?"

"Oh trust me, we have more." Blaineley said. "I don't remember them, but we have more."

"Seriously?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Blaineley said. "Now c'mon, go ask the question."

"Righ." Geoff looked over to Amy. "So, uh, Amy. Question number three, if you could do something differently in the game what would it be?"

"I'd expand my alliance." Amy stated. "Clearly, Sky wasn't enough. I needed a lot of people on my side if I wanted to win."

"And with your personality problems, that's pretty much impossible." Blaineley remarked.

"Honestly, at this point telling you to shut up doesn't even feel worth it." Amy replied.

"Then I'm doing my job." Blaineley smirked.

"By the way, I'd just like to say that I'm plenty likeable." Amy said. "I'm super popular at school. So I don't get why people here don't like me."

"You're lying to yourself and we both know it." Blaineley said.

"Ugh, are we done with the questions yet?" Amy asked. "She's seriously getting on my nerves."

"Thank you." Blaineley replied.

"Don't worry Amy, just one question left." Geoff said. "You clearly don't like a lot of people-"

"Oh come on." Amy complained.

"Lemme finish." Geoff told her. "You clearly don't like a lot of people, but who do you think you like the least out of everyone on the show."

"Hmm... There are just too many good options." Amy remarked. "Probably Lightning. He seems loud and full of himself."

"Good choice." Blaineley remarked. "That's probably who I'd go for too. Anyway Amy, now we're through with you. Get out of here now."

"Oh thank god, finally." Amy said, standing up. "See you losers later."

Amy marched away from the hosts and sat down in the peanut gallery.

"Isn't she lovely." Blaineley sarcastically remarked before looking at her two co-hosts. "So who's next?"

"That'd be everyone's favourite conspiracy theorist Shawn." Bridgette replied. "Get in here Shawn!"

The audience began to applaud as Shawn stepped on to stage. As always, Shawn seemed very nervous as he walked over to the couch.

"H-hello, everyone." Shawn waved to the audience. "Great to be here... Er, again."

Shawn sat down with the three hosts on the couch.

"Back so soon, eh?" Blaineley remarked. "You know, if I'm doing my math right we've had free out of the four people we've brought back eliminated already."

"What's important is that he tried his best." Geoff said.

"Yeah, but he still blew his second chance." Blaineley replied.

"Can we please just do the questions?" Shawn requested.

"Of course we can." Bridgette said. "We'll start off how we usually start off. How do you feel about being eliminated?"

"Same as before, I guess." Shawn remarked. "Only now I'm a little disappointed since I was eliminated just to get kicked off again so soon."

"That's how it goes sometimes, man." Geoff remarked. "Eva had the same thing happen to her back in season one. And Jo had that happen this season."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Jo shouted from the peanut gallery.

"Just what I wanted to hear." Blaineley remarked. "You feeling as sore as her about this, Shawn?"

"Not really, I'm just more disappointed." Shawn admitted.

"But that doesn't make for as good TV." Blaineley said.

"Well, it's the truth." Shawn replied. "Sorry that I can't make it interesting enough for you."

"Ignore her." Bridgette told him. "Let's move on."

"Sure, gimme the next question." Shawn said.

"Shawn, we all know you've got your whole zombie fixation." Geoff said. "What's your number one tip for surviving the zombie apocalypse."

"Finally, someone wants to hear about it." Shawn remarked.

"Don't worry Shawn, they're only asking you because they think you're crazy." Blaineley said.

"Well, I'm gonna tell you people anyway." Shawn stated. "The best thing you can do to survive the impending zombie apocalypse is fortify your house. Stock up on canned goods, reinforce your doors, set some traps in the yard. That kind of thing."

"Sounds a little dangerous." Bridgette remarked.

"Yeah, and good throwing dinner parties." Blaineley added.

"You won't be able to throw any kind of party when there's a zombie trying to break into your home." Shawn stated.

"Keep talking, I wanna see how crazy you can get." Blaineley remarked.

"Laugh all you want, the zombies are right and I'm prepared for it." Shawn said. "Next question please."

"Fine, fine, somebody ask this guy his question." Blaineley said. "I wanna keep things moving if he's done with the zombie talk."

"Okay, on to the next question." Geoff said. "Shawn, your girlfriend Jasmine might be watching. If she is, do you have anything you'd like to tell her?"

"Uh... Hi, I guess." Shawn said. "I'm looking forward to seeing her when she gets back."

"Wow, how boring." Blaineley remarked. "Guess you most _really_ love her."

"I do." Shawn replied. "I just can't think of anything to say."

"C'mon, say something good." Blaineley encouraged him.

"I can't think of anything though." Shawn said. "C'mon just move on to the next question."

"No problem, Shawn. Unlike Blaineley, I respect your wishes." Bridgette replied.

"Oh, shut up." Blaineley said.

"Anyway, Shawn, next question." Bridgette went on. "For our last question, we're gonna ask you something simple. Out of everyone left, who do you hope wins?"

"Probably Sky." Shawn replied. "Me and her are kinda friends so it'd be nice to see her win."

"Boo, boring answer." Blaineley said. "You're the most boring person we've interviewed so far. Well except for the zombie stuff, that made you sound crazy."

"I'm not crazy." Shawn stated. "I'm saner than you."

"All right, we're done with you." Blaineley told him. "Do us all a favour and go sit down."

"Okay, thanks for talking I guess." Shawn remarked, now standing up and walking to the Peanut Gallery.

"So who's next?" Blaineley asked once Shawn had sat down. "Or are we done?"

"Still got one left." Geoff told her.

"Oh, right, Topher." Blaineley remembered. "Goddammit, fine, bring him in. Then we're done."

"You heard her everyone, let's give it up for Topher!" Geoff announced.

Topher walked on to stage as the audience began clapping.

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind." Topher waved back to the audience.

"Oh come on, Shawn getting applause I can get. But why _him?_ " Blaineley asked.

"Just let it go." Bridgette told him.

"I'll tell you why they clap, 'cause I got charisma." Topher said as he sat down. "I'm practically overflowing with it."

"Glad to hear you feel so good, _loser_." Blaineley remarked.

"Hmmph, uncalled for." Topher said.

"Well, you did lose." Blaineley pointed out. "Twice, technically."

"Stop bugging him and get to the questions." Geoff told him.

"Yeah, what he said." Topher agreed. "I could be doing your job and doing it way better, by the way."

"Debatable." Blaineley said.

"Ahem, question time." Bridgette tried to change topics. "How do you feel about being eliminated, Topher?"

"Meh, could be worse." Topher claimed. "Besides, I got what I wanted done."

"Which was?" Blaineley asked.

"Got my name and face out there." Topher explained. "I'm gonna start getting all sorts of offers for movies and TV. Just wait."

Blaineley giggled a little.

"Oh, shut up." Topher replied. "What've you done that's worthwhile lately anyway?"

"Fair enough..." Blaineley sighed. "I gotta get a better agent."

"Let's get back on topic." Bridgette said. "Ready for question two, Topher?"

"You bet." Topher replied. "Ask away."

"All right, here we go." Bridgette said. "Topher, you clearly want to become the next big thing. What show or movie would you ideally be part of?"

"Well, obviously, I'd love to host this one." Topher said.

"Yeah, we definitely got that one." Blaineley remarked.

"But I'd like to star in some big blockbuster films." Topher went on. "Action films, superhero movies, stuff like that. The kind of work Chris could never get. Y'see, I don't just strive to _be_ Chris. I want to be _better_ than him."

"Sometimes you scare us." Bridgette remarked.

"Hey, leave those kind of comments to me." Blaineley said.

"Make jokes all you want. But when I'm a millionaire actor, you'll be sorry." Topher claimed.

"Ha! As if that'd ever happen." Blaineley laughed.

"Okay, your 'Insult All the Guests' shtick is getting old." Topher remarked. "Don't you have anything else you can do?"

"Someone shut him up. Ask him another question, quick." Blaineley said.

"Yeah, it is about that time." Geoff said. "Okay Topher, time for your third question."

"Great, go ahead." Topher replied.

"Okay, here it comes." Geoff said. "Topher, since we know you got your weird admiration for Chris-"

"It's not weird." Topher interrupted.

"Lemme finish." Geoff told him. "What is your favourite thing about Chris?"

"Gee, there are so many good things to choose from." Topher said. "I guess I'd have to say his persistence. I mean, if I'd been stuck in such a dead-end hosting job for more than three seasons I don't think I'd keep it up. Seriously, isn't there a movie deal or something for him?"

"Ooh, backhanded compliments. I like it." Blaineley remarked.

"Thank you." Topher replied. "Chris is good at those two, I learn from the best."

"Let's just keep going before it gets weird." Bridgette remarked. "We just have one last questions."

"All right, I'm ready." Topher said. "Ask away."

"Right, final question time." Bridgette said. "Topher, if you could make one change to the show what would it be? Also, before you say anything, Chris has told us to tell you that you can't say anything involving you hosting it."

"Ah, he knows me too well." Topher remarked. "Let me think for a second..."

"How long do you think this'll take?" Blaineley whispered to her co-hosts.

"I don't actually know." Geoff admitted.

"Probably not that long." Bridgette replied.

This was then followed by half a minute of silence.

"Okay, maybe it will take that long." Bridgette said.

"I got it!" Topher suddenly exclaimed. "I'd replace Chef as co-host! Nothing in your rules against that, eh Chris?"

Topher looked directly into the camera.

"Uh, no offence Chef. Please don't hurt me." Topher hastily added before looking at the Aftermath hosts. "So, uh, is this everything?"

"Yep, that's our last question." Bridgette told him.

"So get out of here." Blaineley added.

"Message recieved." Topher replied, standing up. "By the way, you all are gonna eat your words in about five yaers when I'm the world's number one celebrity. Just watch."

"Just get out of here, okay." Blaineley shooed him away. "Seriously, nobody wants you."

"Fine, fine, I'm gonig." Topher said, walking to the Peanut Gallery and taking a seat.

"Okay, so that does it for all the contestants, right?" Blaineley asked her co-hosts.

"Yep, that's everyone." Geoff said. "All that's left is to-"

"Well, I'm out." Blaineley interrupted.

"Uh, what?" Geoff asked.

"You heard me, I did what I'm being paid to." Blaineley said.

"But we still gotta sign off." Geoff told her.

"Don't care, you two do it yourselves." Blaineley replied. "I'll be in my dressing room if you need me."

Blaineley got up from the couch and walked away off the stage.

"Can... Can she do that?" Bridgette asked.

"I dunno, guess she just did." Geoff said. "Uh, wanna sign off?"

"Yeah, guess so." Bridgette turned to the camera. "Well, that's it for this batch of contestants. Let's hope Blaineley's in a better mood next time we see her. If that's even possible."

"But we still got a main show for you to watch." Geoff continued on. "So stick around 'cause you'll wanna be here for the next episode of, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading the chapter. I know, it's probably just a little disappointing how short this is. I tried adding more scenes, but it just felt like filler. But hopefully you like it. One quick thing, I have a new Total Drama story called "Total Drama Ascension". It's not related to any of my previous stories but you may like it. So check it out if you want. Anyway, thanks for reading. Hopefully the next chapter's up sooner.**


	22. Feels Good to Do Bad

**And I'm back. I swear, I feel like these chapters are taking me longer and longer to write and I don't know why. Anyway, don't wanna waste too much time on the author's notes so let's just get to the reviews.**

 **Nicky Haugh:** Thank you.

 **JOHNHAMMON1993:** I appreciate the suggestions and will consider them.

 **Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro:** Thank you too.

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Champions, our contestants were shrunken down to travel size for a Toy Story inspired challenge. In the end, Sky and Lightning ended up splitting off their alliance and Topher was the one who got sent back home for a second time. We're down to six so anyone could be next. Who will it be? Find out on, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **(Theme Song)**

* * *

One early morning at the film lot, the sun was just coming up over the trailers that the remaining six merged contestants resided in. Within the girls' cabin, Sky had just woken up.

"Hmm... Is it morning already?" Sky mumbled, getting out of bed. "Well, time for my morning jog I guess."

Sky walked across the floor and as she reached towards the door she heard the sound of Sierra getting up behind her.

"Hey Sky!" Sierra cheered. "You up already?"

Sky turend around and saw Sierra getting up from bed.

"Oh, yep, sure am." Sky said. "First one up. Just going for my job."

"I think I'm gonna get some extra sleep." Sierra remarked.

"Well, hopefully nobody else wakes you up." Sky told her.

"We're the only two people in here so I don't think I've gotta worry." Sierra said.

"Then get some rest. You're gonna need it." Sky remarked.

Sky went back to the door and left the trailer.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Me and Sierra don't have much in common. This is a problem because we've got a big trailer all to ourselves so I've gotta talk to her every morning and every night." Sky said.

* * *

Meanwhile in the boys trailer, Lightning was the first person within the room to wake up. He got up from his bed, did a few small stretches and took a deep breath.

"Good mornin' world!" Lightning exhaled. "Lightning's here!"

The shouting awoke the other three boys in the trailer.

"Jesus Lightning, do you have to do that?" Scott complained as he slowly woke up.

"Is he doing it again..." DJ muttered.

"Yes..." Dave groaned.

"Sorry boys, I forget that other people sleep here sometimes." Lightning remarked.

"Just do us a favour and leave." Scott said. "Some people wanna sleep."

"Fine, I like to stay fit and you all don't. I get it." Lightning said. "If ya need me, I'll be out on my jog."

Lightning opened the door to the trailer and left the room.

"God, I hated everything about that." Scott stated once he was sure Lightning had left. "Dave, remind me to vote for him tonight."

"Uh huh... Yeah..." Dave sleepily muttered.

"Let's all just try to get some sleep before the challenge." DJ said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"I do not know what I did to get this far." DJ admitted. "I was voted out, came back by accident and now I'm in the final six. How does that even happen?"

* * *

The scene cut to a close up shot of the film lot's loud speakers.

"Okay people, here we go again!" Chris cheered through the PA system. "I know, it's earlier than usual. But you'll just have to deal with it. Come on down to the warehouse and we'll be having the challenge! Let's go!"

The scene then switched over to the contestants arriving in the warehouse where Chris was already waiting for them.

"Ah, glad you could make it." Chris remarked.

"Ugh... Why'd you wake us up so early today." Dave complained.

"Sha-yeah! I barely had time for my mornin' exercises." Lightning stated.

"That's too bad for you, isn't it." Chris said, clearly not caring.

"Just tell us the challenge, man." Scott said. "We all know it's that time."

"Wow, am I that predictable?" Chris wondered.

"Oh, absolutely." Sky stated.

"Hmmph, fine. I can't help it if I like having a schedule." Chris remarked.

"Seriously, just do the challenge." Scott repeated himself.

"All right, all right." Chris said. "So remember that challenge we did a little while back where you got to be heroes from the world of Batman? Well time for the opposite."

"We get to be Superman!" Lightning cheered.

"No." Chris replied.

"Aw..." Lightning sighed.

"Instead of playing the role of hero, you get to be the bad guy now." Chris said. "That's right, you get to be supervillains. You're supervillains each of you will get your own hero to fight. Whoever defeats their hero wins the challenge."

"Is that really all?" Sky asked.

"Yep, like I said it's simple." Chris repeated. "So don't waste time, sit down and start the challenge."

The contestants followed Chris' orders and sat down at the chairs around the room. Chris then went over to the machine in the middle of the room with Chef and they both pressed a few buttons.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"I don't read any comic books, but being a supervillain sounds like it could be kinda fun." Sierra remarked. "I was looking forward to the challenge."

* * *

Inside the virtual world, all the contestants woke up in a large circular room surrounded by monitors sitting at an equally circular table. Scott looked up from the table and saw that the other contestants were still in the process of coming into the virtual world, seeming uncscious.

"So where am I?" Scott wondered. "And why do I feel like I'm dressed like a crazy person?"

Scott looked down at himself and saw that his suspicions were confirmed. He was clad in a yellow and black jumpsuit with an emblem on his chest he didn't recognize. He also noticed a yellow ring on his right ring finger.

"So who the hell am I supposed to be?" Scott asked himself.

He noticed a small card in front of him and picked it up. On the card was written one word: "Sinestro".

"What, is that supposed to be my name?" Scott remarked.

Scott was distracted when he noticed the person beside him at the table, Dave, starting to come into the virtual world.

"Ugh... Where am I?" Dave muttered.

"Some kind of evil lair I guess." Scott replied.

"Ugh, what am I wearing?" Dave remarked.

Dave looked down and saw he wore a blue and white fur parka and feeling around his face he realized he was wearing goggles of some kind.

"Looks like you're one of those ice guys. Like Mr. Freeze or whatever." Scott remarked.

Dave looked down at the card in front of him and saw the name "Captain Cold" written down on it.

"Yep, that sounds about right." Dave remarked.

Lightning and Sky were the next to come into the simulation, their avatars waking up.

"Whoa, this place looks pretty sweet." Lightning remarked. "Why's it all red though."

"You're wearing a helmet." Sky told him.

"Oh..." Lightning felt at his head and indeed there was a helmet over his face.

He removed it to look at it and saw it had somewhat of a flat shape with big bug-like eyes that were tinted red. Looking down, he saw he was wearing a tight black bodysuit.

"Oh, I'm the dude that Aquaman fights. Stingrayman or whatever it was." Lightning said.

"It says Black Manta on the card in front of you." Scott told him.

"So who am I?" Sky looked at her outfit.

She saw that she was wearing a fur bodysuit that resembled the pattern of a cheetah.

"Oh, I know. I'm that one villain Wonder Woman fights." Sky realized. "The Cheetah or something."

"Guys, I'm awake now!" Sierra cheered, causing all eyes to go to her.

Looking at her, they realized Sierra was dressed in a leotard made entirely out of leaves and vines.

"I get to be Poison Ivy!" Sierra went on. "Isn't that awesome? If I really was her I could use my cool seductive plant powers on Cody."

"Okay, that's slightly disturbing..." Scott muttered.

Finally DJ came into the situation and sat up in his chair.

"Whoa, where are we?" DJ asked.

"From the look of things, we're in the Hall of Doom." Sierra remarked. "Did you guys ever watch Superfriends? My mom bought a bunch of DVDs for me to watch when I was little and I loved it."

"So is that the reason we're all dressed up?" DJ looked down at himself. "Who am I supposed to be?"

He saw he was wearing a slightly ridiculous looking yellow and black jumpsuit with a cowl that resembled a jester's hat.

"Oh, I know!" Sierra cheered. "You're Toyman."

"Huh, that doesn't sound too evil." DJ remarked. "I like it."

"So guys, what exactly are we supposed to do?" Dave asked. "Because right now, we're just a bunch of people in dumb costumes."

"Well I guess we'll have to wait for the superheroes to show up." Scott remarked.

"When will they show up?" DJ asked.

"I don't know, soon I hope." Scott remarked. "I feel ridiculous dressed in this suit. Not to mention it's kinda tight."

"They'll show up soon, I know it." Sierra remarked. "We just gotta wait."

Suddenly, the contestants heard something hit the outside of wherever they were in and the room shook.

"Oh, that must be them now." Sierra said. "I guess we'd better get ready."

Sierra stood up from her chair but as soon as this happened a large chunk of the ceiling fell, crushing the table. Looking up at the new hole in the roof, the contestants saw six figures standing on the roof, obscured by shadows.

"We found your secret lair, Legion of Doom!" One of the figures announced. "Let's see how you do against the Justice League of America!"

The figures jumped down from the roof and landed near the contestants. The six heroes turned out to be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sky)**

"Okay, I'm actually impressed Chris got to use the images for the actual characters to appear on the show." Sky remarked.

* * *

The contestants stared, awestruck at the virtual superheroes.

"Six-on-six. An even fight." The virtual Flash remarked. "Let's do this, Captain Cold."

"Wait, me?" Dave asked. "Hold on, let me get my freeze ray and-"

Dave blinked and in the next instant he was outside the Hall of Doom, in a swamp, with the Flash holding him by the hood.

"Oh..." Dave trailed off.

"I'm the Flash, it's what I do." Flash bragged.

Back inside the Hall of Doom, the other contestants were preparing to face off against the superheroes.

"Wow, that guy moves fast." Scott remarked, looking at the space where Dave once was. "Guess I'll be fighting the other idiot with the ring."

"Very well Sinestro, you'll be a fitting opponent." Green Lantern said.

"So how do I use this?" Scott looked down at his Yellow Lantern Ring. "Can I fly?"

As soon as he said this, he began glowing yellow and began to levitate.

"Huh, apparently I can." Scott remarked. "Nice."

"Hello Isley, didn't expect you to join this group." The virtual Batman approached Sierra.

"Who's Isley?" Sky asked.

"Oh, me!" Sierra cheered. "That's Poison Ivy's real last name."

"How do you know so much about comic books?" DJ asked.

"What? You think Total Drama's my only hobby?" Sierra replied.

Superman hovered himself over to DJ.

"Toyman! I should have known you were part of this group." Superman remarked. "Prepare for Justice!"

"Oh come on!" DJ exclaimed. "I gotta fight Superman!? How is that fair?!"

"Looks like I'll be fighting Cheetah!" The virtual Wonder Woman declared, stepping up to Sky. "Aquaman, you fight Black Manta."

"Right away, Wonder Woman!" Aquaman went up to Lightning.

"Sweet. Let's sha-do this, man!" Lightning cheered.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Lightning)**

"I ain't that into superhero stuff. That kinda thing's for nerds, not a-grade athletes like me. But still, it was pretty cool." Lightning admitted.

* * *

Fighting erupted all throughout the Hall of Doom with the various contestants attempting to combat the virtual superheroes.

On the left side of the hall, Sky was engaged in a fight against Wonder Woman.

"Give up Cheetah, you never win!" Wonder Woman declared.

"Uh, we'll see about that I guess." Sky dodged Wonder Woman attempting to kick her. "Don't you have a magical lasso or something?"

"Ah, you mean my Lasso of Truth?" Wonder Woman grabbed her gold, glowing lasso from her belt. "Here!"

Wonder Woman threw her lasso forward and it wrapped around Sky's arms. The virtual hero pulled, toppling Sky over.

"Uh oh..." Sky trailed off.

Over in another corner of the virtual lair, DJ was running away from Superman.

"Ah! Please don't hurt me!" DJ exclaimed.

"You've never been one to run from a fight before, Toyman." Superman remarked, flying after DJ. "Are you hiding something?"

"I'm not, I'm really not!" DJ replied.

Superman fired a beam of lasers from his eye but it missed DJ.

"Ah! Please leave me alone!" DJ begged.

Meanwhile, in the swamp outside the Hall of Doom, Sierra was in the middle of the fight with the virtual Batman. Sierra had found out that the identity she assumed gave her the power to control plants in the virtual world.

"Whee!" Sierra cheered with a tangle of vines coming up behind her. "Take this Batman! This is so cool."

Sierra pointed at the virtual Batman causing the vines to go at him. Batman jumped out of the way.

"I know how to counter you, Poison Ivy!" Batman exclaimed. "Surrender. It always ends the same way."

"Never! Mwahaha!" Sierra laughed.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Sierra)**

"Heh, might've gotten a bit too in character there." Sierra admitted.

* * *

Elsewhere in the swamp, Lightning was fighting the virtual Aquaman.

"Check it, Aquaguy. My helmet's got laser eyes!" Lightning cheered as he shot a laser beam from his helmet's eyes.

Aquaman leaped out of laser's way.

"What'cha gonna do? You're just a guy who can talk to fish." Lightning went on.

"There are plenty of marine creatures in the swamp." Aquaman replied.

"Name one." Lightning replied.

"The crabs that I have surrounding you." Aquaman replied.

Lightning felt a sudden numbness in his feet.

"Yo! Not cool Aquadude!" Lightning exclaimed, falling over.

Meanwhile, above the swamp, Scott was facing off with the virtual Green Lantern.

"So what can this magic ring of mine do besides flying" Scott wondered.

"Give it up, Sinestro. You've never been able to defeat the Justice League before." Green Lantern held his fist out and a beam of green energy was shot from his ring.

Scott moved to the side, dodging it.

"Oh, that's what it can do. Nice." Scott mimicked the way Green Lantern held out his fist. "Eat this, green guy!"

A beam of yellow light was fired from his ring. Green Lantern began to move out of the way but was clipped by the energy bolt.

"Gah! You may have gotten one hit in, Sinestro. But I'll win." Green Lantern summoned a giant green sword with his ring.

"All right, this is actually pretty cool." Scott remarked. "I think I got a chance at winning."

Back down in the swamps below, the virtual Flash was running circles around Dave. In the time since he was lost focused on, Dave had found that his outfit had a freeze ray on his hip. He'd taken it out and was trying to blast the Flash with it. But due to his opponent's super speed it was not working.

"Come on! Hold still!" Dave yelled. "Please?"

Several more rays from his cold gun missed Flash and instead froze parts of nearby trees.

"No thanks, I don't slow down." Flash said. "C'mon keep trying. You'll get it... Eventually. Or maybe not."

"Stop talking so much!" Dave shouted. "You- You're making me angry!"

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"That character reminded me of all of Scott's negative qualities." Dave remarked. "I've got a feeling Chris designed the challenge just to do that."

* * *

Back inside the Hall of Doom, Sky and Wonder Woman were still fighting while DJ fled from the Superman.

The Sky jumped in towards the virtual Wonder Woman and slashed at her with the claws that were provided with her costume. Wonder Woman countered by blocking with her arm. The claws struck the bracelets on Wonder Woman's arm which caused them to shatter.

"Uh oh..." Sky trailed off, looking down at her cracked claws.

"The power of Zeus compels you!" Wonder Woman reached for her lasso again and swung it around above her head.

"I may not be that into superheroes, but I'm pretty sure Wonder Woman has never said that before." Sky back away.

On the other side of the room, DJ had hidden under a table in hopes that the virtual Superman wouldn't find him.

"Please be gone... Please be gone..." DJ murmured to himself with his hands over his eyes.

DJ felt something move above him. He looked up and saw that the table was no longer above him and in fact was being held by Superman.

"Why are you hiding Toyman?" Superman asked. "Do you have some kind of trick up your sleeve?"

"I really don't!" DJ replied. "C'mon... How am I supposed to fight you?"

DJ reached into the pockets of his costume and pulled out a toy soldier. Desperate for some kind of attack, he threw the soldier at Superman. The soldier exploded upon impact with Superman but the superhero did not seem to react.

"Oh... I thought that would work." DJ said.

"Sorry, you're going to have to try harder than that to defeat Superman." Superman said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: DJ)**

"How was _any_ of that a fair fight?" DJ asked.

* * *

Back outside the Hall of Doom, Lightning was still fighting the virtual Aquaman in another part of the swamp.

"Ha! Beat your crabs, Aquaguy!" Lightning cheered. "Now eat my laser eyes!"

Lasers shot from the eyes on Lightning's mask but Aquaman countered them with his trident.

"Sorry Manta, your old tricks won't work." Aquaman said.

"Yeah, well, you're outta fish that'll attack me!" Lightning exclaimed.

"I still have the barracuda." Aquaman replied.

"This is a swamp. Where're ya gonna get a barracuda?" Lightning asked.

Lightning felt more things biting at his legs which made fall over.

"Oh come on!" Lightning exclaimed as more bit him. "Stupid virtual world logic!"

Meanwhile, Sierra was still fighting the virtual Batman.

"Whee, this is fun!" Sierra cheered, making a vine shoot out at Batman.

Batman jumped to the side.

"You won't win this time, Ivy!" Batman took a Batarang from his back and threw it at Sierra.

"Ah! Close one!" Sierra exclaimed as she dodged the Batarang. "Whoa, you'll have to try harder than that."

Batman threw another two Batarangs but they missed Sierra.

"This is too easy." Sierra said. "Plant minions, attack! Or something."

Several vines reached out of the swamp and wrapped around Batman.

"It won't be that easy for me either." Batman said.

Batman grabbed a Batarang off his belt and sliced through the vines.

"Haha! Awesome!" Sierra cheered. "This is so cool."

"You're usually not this excitable, Ivy." the virtual Batman observed.

"Gee, thanks." Sierra replied.

Back up in the air, Scott and the virtual Green Lantern were fighting.

"Give it up Sinestro, you can't win!" Green Lantern exclaimed.

"Y'know I feel like you keep repeating the same stuff and I just don't give a crap." Scott replied. "Now just do me a favour and give up already. Or do I have to blast you with more of this yellow stuff?"

"Yes, yes you will." Green Lantern replied, his ring now beginning to glow green.

"C'mon, hit me with your best shot." Scott said.

"If you insist, Siniestro." Green Lantern made a fist and held it in front of him. "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall-"

The virtual Green Lantern was cut off when Scott hit him in the chest with a blast of yellow energy.

"Ah! You can't do that!" Green lantern exclaimed. "I was in the middle of my oath! I was charging up my ring!"

"Well guess what buddy, I did it." Scott smirked. "And I'll do it again."

Another beam of yellow energy was fired from Scott's ring, hitting Green Lantern.

"At least be creative with how you use your ring, Sinestro!" Green Lantern exclaimed. " _This_ is how to wield you ring!"

A giant green sledgehammer came out from the virtual Green Lanterns ring. The hammer swung and hit Scott, sending him tumbling through the air.

Back on the ground, Dave and the Flash were still fighting in the swamp.

"How is anyone able to fight you!" Dave shouted as he shot at and missed the Flash.

"Good reflexes I guess. You seem a little off today though." Flash said, still running circles around Dave. "Here, let me help?"

"What does that mean?" Dave asked, missing with another blast from his cold gun.

"It means this." Flash replied.

The Flash ran at Dave and grabbed the back of his jacket. He continued to run, pulling Dave with him.

"Let me go!" Dave yelled.

"Don't feel like it." Flash casually replied.

It was then that Dave saw an opportunity. He aimed his cold gun at the virtual Flash's feet and shot them. The feet were frozen and the Flash tumbled forward into a swamp. Dave landed in the swamp as well but the partially frozen flash tumbled further until he smashed into a tree and remained motionless for a couple of moments.

"Did I win? He's not moving..." Dave observed, pulling himself out of the swamp.

Dave began to glow a white light.

"Oh, looks like I _did_ win after all." Dave remarked.

He disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"I might actually have to read a comic book now. That stuff was pretty cool." Dave said.

* * *

Back in the real world, all the contestants had just come out of the machine.

"And welcome back!" Chris cheered. "How was it in there? Did you like your supervillain adventures?"

"I wish I was in there longer!" Sierra cheered.

"Are you kidding? That was terrifying! How was I supposed to win against that guy?" DJ asked.

"Well, maybe you should've tried more." Chris said. "Anyway, the point is that Dave won."

"Ha! Great!" Dave cheered. "Now I actually feel strong for once."

"Shut up..." Sky muttered.

"Anywho, you know what to do. You all get some time to yourself and then we have the elimination ceremony." Chris explained.

The scene changed over to Dave and Scott inside the trailer together.

"So, we sure got a lot of freedom on who to vote for today, right?" Dave asked.

"Well, yeah, you did win and all." Scott said.

"In that case, we're voting for Sky." Dave replied.

"Nope" Scott tapped his chin. "Tonight we go for DJ."

"Aww, but why?" Dave asked.

"Think about it. Someone as strong and athletic as him is in the final six instead of someone like that zombie freak." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Confessional: Dave)**

"At this rate, Sky's gonna make it to the finale AGAIN if we don't vote her off!" Dave said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other contestants were in the mess hall. Sky ate her lunch alone but noticed Lightning coming towards her.

"What's he doing?" Sky whispered to herself.

Lightning sat down across from her.

"What's up, Sky?" Lightning remarked.

"Lightning, what are you doing here?" Sky asked.

"I figure we could talk." Lightning explained. "Just 'cause our alliance is broken off doesn't mean we don't have to talk each other.

"Well you kinda thought wrong." Sky stood up. "I'm gonna go sit somewhere else."

Sky grabbed her tray and began to walk away.

"Fine! I'm good, I don't need ya!" Lightning shouted over to her.

Elsewhere in the mess hall, DJ and Sierra were at the same table. Both were eating the green mush Chef called food in complete silence. DJ occasionally glanced up at Sierra to see that the purple haired girl was busy eating her food. Eventually, DJ said something.

"Hey, are we still in an alliance?" DJ asked. "'Cause it doesn't really feel like it."

"I dunno, do you want to be in an alliance?" Sierra replied

"Uh... I don't know." DJ admitted. "Could take it or leave it. No offence."

"I feel the same, don't worry." Sierra replied. "Let's be quiet, I'm really hungry today for some reason."

The scene changed to later that night at the elimination ceremony. Chris was up on stage and the contestants were in the audience.

"Alright everyone, it's that time again." Chris said.

"Voting time?" Lightning asked.

"Exactly right. But please, do not interrupt me." Chris replied. "Anyway, get into that booth and draw on some pictures. Let's go!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Scott)**

Scott drew an X over a photo of DJ.

"See ya DJ, I will not miss you. You always seemed kinda boring." Scott said.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Dave)**

Dave crossed out a photograph of DJ.

"Not really gonna miss you." Dave admitted. "Don't really have any strong feelings attached to you."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Lightning)**

Lightning held up a crossed out photo of Sky.

"Still kinda mad that ya cut off out alliance." Lightning remarked.

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sky)**

Sky drew an X over a photo of Lightning.

"I don't really like him." Sky admitted. "Simple as that."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: Sierra)**

"I don't really know who to go for." Sierra admitted. "Hmm... There are a lot of good targets and I can only choose one... Gimme a sec."

* * *

 **(Voting Confessional: DJ)**

DJ drew over a photograph of Lightning.

"He just kinda annoys me. That's it." DJ said.

* * *

The scene switched back to the contestants in the bleachers following the voting.

"All right everybody, I've counted up the votes." Chris said. "Blah, blah, blah you know how it goes. The following people are safe. Dave, Sierra, and Scott. You're safe."

Chris threw the trio of contestants their awards.

"Have fun with that." Chris said. "Sky, DJ, and Lightning. We have two Gilded Chris Awards left. This next one goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Sky!"

Chris threw her the award.

"Oh, come on!" Dave exclaimed.

"Wow, rude." Sky remarked.

"Anyway, we have one award left." Chris said. "DJ, Lightning, the final Gilded Chris Award goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Lightning!"

"Wait, really? Why?" DJ asked.

"Sha-awesome!" Lightning caught his idol.

"However, this means absolutely nothing because this was a non-elimination round!" Chris announced.

"So you just wasted our time?" Scott asked.

"In a way, yes. But I'm the host and I make the rules." Chris turned to the camera as it zoomed in on him. "Tune in next time for more fun and to actually see one of our six contestants get eliminated. Stick around for, Total. Drama. Champions!"

* * *

 **Merged Contestants:** DJ, Scott, Dave, Sky, Lightning, and Sierra

 **Eliminated:**

Jo the Bossy Jock (RETURNED)

Justin the Attractive Model (18th Place)

Max the Wannabe Super Villain (17th Place)

Cody the Self Proclaimed Ladies Man (16th Place)

Tyler the Clumsy Jock (15th Place)

Zoey the Indie Chick (14th Place)

DJ the Gentle Giant (RETURNED)

Anne Maria the Jersey Shore Girl (13th Place)

Cameron the Bubble Boy (12th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (RETURNED)

Gwen the Loner (11th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (RETURNED)

Jo the Bossy Jock (10th Place)

Amy the Bad Twin (9th Place)

Shawn the Conspiracy Theorist (8th Place)

Topher the Chris Wannabe (7th Place)

 **Votes:**

Scott: DJ

Dave: DJ

Lightning: Sky

Sky: Lightning

Sierra: DJ

DJ: Lightning

 **Results:**

DJ: 3 Votes (Negated by non-elimination round)

Lightning: 2 Votes

Sky: 1 Vote

* * *

 **That's it for now. Hope you don't mind the non-elimination round. There will be an elimination round next time. Anyway, I don't have much to say about the ending but I do hope I'll have a new chapter up next month and earlier. Be sure to leave a review. Thanks for reading.**


	23. UPDATE

**Update:** Hello everyone. I have an announcement to make. I will be taking a break from working on Total Drama: Champions for the next month or so as I am right in the middle of school work at the moment. I hope that this is all for the best for everyone. My anonymous co-author has kindly agreed with this decision and I wish you all the best for the next month. The next chapter won't probably be updated until the mid-summer. So until you hear more or if the next chapter does some sooner than expected, I wish you all the best again for what summer lies ahead for all of us.


	24. UPDATE 2

Hello everyone. Did you all have a good month? I certainly enjoyed my time in June, and I hope that everybody else has enjoyed theirs.

I have an announcement to make. I will be working further onwards on Total Drama: Champions to catch up with what the project has been prepared for. As I've stated before, the next chapter will more likely be updated until mid-summer, so fingers crossed that I manage to have enough time to eventually complete the upcoming chapter.

With the summer holidays on the way, I can only expect to enjoy what I have planned to celebrate another month away from education. I hope that everyone gets to enjoy their summer holiday for as much as I do. After all, most of us deserve it when it comes to coming to an end of such a prolonged term of education and studying.


	25. FINAL UPDATE (STORY CANCELLED)

Hello there readers, I regret to inform you that this story will not be finished. I know my last note said I would be continuing but I've recently had the revelation that I'm just not interested in writing Total Drama fanfiction any longer. I guess I've outgrown it, it's no longer fun for me. But it's been fun writing on this site for the past several years and I'll cherish the memories I made. In fact I'll stick around if only to chat with the people here. But it'll just be that for now on. I'll miss it all but I think it's time that I move on from writing. I hope that the decision I have made doesn't upset those who have enjoyed all the stories that I previously and recently been working on at this stage.


	26. ELIMINATION ORDER

Hey, just thought you should know, my co-author wanted me to let you know what the rest of the elimination order would have been. It is as follows:

6th: Sky  
5th: Lightning  
4th: Scott  
3rd: Dave  
2nd Sierra  
1st: DJ


End file.
